BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Raj Shah, SVP at Fox Corp. and former White House spokesman
How/where are you celebrating your birthday and with whom? “Going to fire up my new grill on my new terrace with some old friends. Hopefully I’ve figured out how to cook a decent burger.”
How did you get your start in your career? “During the 2006 election cycle I got hired out of college by the Republican National Committee to pull news clips at 5 a.m. each morning.”
What’s an interesting book/article you’re reading now or you’ve recently finished? And why? “I recently finished ‘American Lion,’ a biography of Andrew Jackson by Jon Meacham. Populism is on the rise in America and throughout the world, and Jackson was America’s first outsider, populist president. Meacham tells a truly compelling story about a gritty, anti-elitist warrior, that I’d recommend to anyone.”
What’s a trend going on in the U.S. or abroad that doesn’t get enough attention? “Brexit, which did receive a lot of attention, is actually part of a much larger trend which has not: The dominance of left-of-center politics throughout the last 70 years of Europe is under siege and giving way to more populist and nationally conscious politics. While not universal, this trend, should it hold, will have a profound impact on global economics, culture, immigration flows, currency and many other issues throughout our lifetimes.”
How’s the Trump presidency going? “I’m quite biased, so I will offer an objective metric: It’s great for ratings!”
What’s a fun fact that people in Washington might not know about you? “My name, Raj Shah, said quickly sounds a lot like a foreign country that’s been the subject of a lot of conversation (and investigation) in Washington. It made me the butt of some pretty hilarious jokes from my White House colleagues.”