Benjamin J. Rhodes (born 1977) is the deputy national security adviser for strategic communication for U.S. President Barack Obama. His title is "Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting." Rhodes has been a foreign policy speechwriter for Obama since 2007.

Early life and education

Rhodes grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He is the son of an Episcopalian father from Texas and a Jewish mother from New York. He attended the Collegiate School, graduating in 1996. Rhodes then attended Rice University, graduating in 2000 with majors in English and political science. He then moved back to New York, attending New York University and graduating in 2002 with an MFA in creative writing.

Early political career

In the summer of 1997, Rhodes volunteered with the Rudy Giuliani mayoral campaign. In the summer of 2001, he worked on the New York City Council campaign of Diana Reyna.

Foreign policy speechwriter