Dan Pfeiffer discusses his contribution to the communications operations and strategy of the Obama 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, the 2008 presidential transition, and the Obama White House, in which he served in various roles from 2009 to 2015. In addition to recounting important events and decisions from the campaign trail, Pfeiffer focuses on efforts to modernize White House communication s in the context of changes in the technological and media landscapes. He provides details about the White House's increased use of social media, digital content, television appearances, and long-form interviews, its relationship with the White House press corps, and approach to conservative media coverage, including that of Fox News. Also discussed are the communications strategies for particular policy initiatives, including the Affordable Care Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the development of select speeches, including the president's December 2011 speech on inequality in Osawatomie, KS, and insights to the stress associated with work in White House communications
Presidents--United States; Presidential campaigns--United States; Presidents--Transition periods--United States; Pfeiffer, Dan; Obama, Barack; United States; United States. White House Communications Office; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2020
Physical Description
87 pages
Note (Biographical)
Dan Pfeiffer was the White House communications director during the first term of the Obama presidency. He later served as senior advisor to President Obama for strategy and communications from 2013 to 2015
Note
Interviewed by Nicole R. Hemmer on May 4 and September 2, 2020. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Dan Pfeiffer, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022