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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Entertainment
Martin Pengelly

Obama’s former speechwriter Ben Rhodes examines the US through its 15 most defining speeches

Ben Rhodes in a black shirt stands in front of a corrugated blue metal wall
Ben Rhodes. Photograph: Polly Irungu

Donald Trump “has proven Jeremiah Wright correct about a lot of things”, said Ben Rhodes, a former speechwriter and deputy national security adviser to Barack Obama and still a close aide to the ex-president.

“If you look at the things that Jeremiah Wright was kind of canceled for, it was saying America was a nation founded on racism. Well, it’s a fairly common view these days. 9/11 was the chickens coming home to roost? I make versions of that argument every time I write for the New York Times: that American foreign policy has blowback.”

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