Early in his career, Price worked as an intelligence analyst at the CIA. His focus was on the detection and disruption of possible terrorist attacks against the United States and its interests. In 2013,
Mother Jones quoted Price defending the CIA financing research on
climate change, in the face of opposition from
Republican lawmakers who had described the CIA unit as "a waste of resources" and "spying on sea lions". Later in his CIA career, he was loaned to the
National Security Council, serving as its spokesperson and as a Special Assistant to President
Barack Obama. Price discusses his experiences working under President Obama in
West Wingers: Stories from the Dream Chasers, Change Makers, and Hope Creators Inside the Obama White House (2018). Price is a co-founder and previously served as Director of Policy and Communications at National Security Action, a 501(c)(4) registered lobby group along with several former Obama national security advisors.
Op-ed piece In a February 2017
Washington Post op-ed piece, Price described mounting concerns over
Donald Trump, first when he was candidate, then prior to inauguration, and then as the sitting president. Price described his initial concern when Trump blithely dismissed the opinions of senior intelligence officials during a debate with rival candidate
Hillary Clinton. Price then described how demoralized he and fellow CIA officials felt when newly inaugurated President Trump used a visit to CIA headquarters for campaign-style self-promotion. Finally, Price reflected on how Trump removed senior intelligence officials from the "principal's committee", and expressed concern that by ignoring their advice he was putting public safety at risk.
Biden administration On January 20, 2021, Price assumed office as the
Spokesperson for the United States Department of State in the
Biden administration; he was the first
openly gay person in this post. In addition to his role as Spokesperson, he was widely seen as one of Secretary of State Blinken's closest and most trusted advisors. In March 2021, Price stated that the U.S. has "serious concerns" about the
International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation into war crimes committed during the
2014 War in Gaza. Price stated that the ICC has "no jurisdiction over this matter" and is "unfairly" targeting Israel; his statement is consistent with Trump's executive order 13928, which denies the jurisdiction of ICC over the United States and its allies. Price also raised concerns when he used the
"America First" trope of Donald Trump to justify ban on vaccine raw materials to India. On February 6, 2022, Price engaged in a heated exchange with
Associated Press (AP) reporter
Matt Lee over the Biden administration's claims about
Ukraine. On February 24, 2022,
Russia invaded Ukraine after a series of attempted pretexts. In December 2022, Ned Price said that Azerbaijan's
blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh has serious humanitarian consequences and called on
Azerbaijan to restore free movement through the
Lachin corridor. Price resigned as Department Spokesperson on March 17, 2023, and shortly thereafter took up his role as Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Blinken. He held the position for the remainder of Biden's term in office.
Subsequent career Price served as a Residential Fellow for the
Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School for the Fall 2025 semester. In December 2025, following the sudden death of the institute's director,
Setti Warren, Price began serving as the interim co-director of the Institute of Politics alongside
Beth Myers while the school conducts a search for a permanent IOP director. Price serves as the primary leader of the Institute, with Myers serving in a part-time capacity. == Publications ==