The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Elliot Williams returns to The Remnant in triumph to discuss his new book, Five Bullets. Jonah Goldberg and Elliot brave technical difficulties to discuss the Bernie Goetz case, the blackout of ‘77, Rupert Murdoch, Trump’s political origins, and the echoes of ‘80s New York today. Shownotes:—Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York's Explosive '80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation—Most recent appearance of Elliot Williams on The Remnant The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken Pollack, vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute, joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss the reality of regime change in Iran, what’s next for the Iranian nuclear program, and the politics around taking Greenland.The Agenda:–Historical patterns of uprisings in Iran–Is this different?–It’s the economy, stupid!–Potential military strategies–Understanding the Iranian threat–Iran’s nuclear program–The shah’s complex legacy–Greenland, now what?Show Notes:–Monday’s TMD on Iran–The political theory that explains Trump's global power playsThe Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg starts this Ruminant off with a bang by defending his take on the ICE shooting, then jumping headfirst into his thoughts on Labor Department posts and Woodrow Wilson’s fascistic America. He also muses on his father’s defense of the Shah, takes on right- and left-wing antisemitism, and tries out a new metaphor for Donald Trump.Plus, listeners will be treated to ... a confession. Shownotes:—Jonah’s take on the Minneapolis ICE shooting on The Dispatch Podcast—Advisory Opinions on the ICE shooting—Goldberg slams ‘grotesque and idiotic’ response by some in GOP to deadly ICE shooting—Most recent Dispatch Podcast—Mike Allen at Axios on new White House concern over immigration—“There Will Be More Renee Goods” - Jeremiah Johnson at The Dispatch—Jonah’s G-File on the Department of Labor—Jonah’s book, Liberal Fascism—Three New Deals: Reflections on Roosevelt's America, Mussolini's Italy, and Hitler's Germany, 1933-1939—The Remnant: John Adams Was Not an Originalist | Interview: Lindsay Chervinsky—The Remnant: Patriots and Loyalists | Interview: Ken Burns—Foer in The Atlantic: ‘MAGA’s Jewish Intellectuals Helped Create Their Own Predicament’—Yoni Appelbaum on The Remnant—Foer: ‘The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending’—Eli Lake on The Commentary Podcast—Mike Nelson in The Dispatch on America’s red lines The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her debut appearance at Le Bistro Remnant, Rebecca Newberger-Goldstein serves up a philosophical Smörgåsbord for Jonah Goldberg, including the four forms of mattering, the distinction between humans and other animals, the brilliance and depression of William James, and the principle of entropy, all with a little bit of Spinoza sprinkled in. Shownotes:—The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us—Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity—36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction—Steven Pinker’s essay on entropy—Jonah’s most recent book—Dominion by Tom Holland—Steven Pinker’s appearance on The Remnant—Megan McArdle—“The Brother I Lost” The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg is joined by Ken Burns, the prolific American filmmaker behind documentaries on the Civil War and American Revolution. The two discuss the importance of historical narratives, why George Washington is so pivotal, and whether Jonah would have been a Loyalist or Patriot. Show Notes:—Washington Monthly's review of The American Revolution (2025)—Jonah's Next 250 essay: "The American Revolution Was a Really Big Deal" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg ruminates on the Trump administration's response to the ICE shooting in Minneapolis, the use of the word "regime," and where nationalism goes wrong. Show Notes:—Wednesday's G-File—Friday's Dispatch Podcast The Remnant is a production of ⁠⁠The Dispatch⁠⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠⁠click here⁠⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠⁠by clicking here⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg is joined by returning guest Matt Ridley, author of Birds, Sex and Beauty: The Extraordinary Implications of Charles Darwin's Strangest Idea. The two discuss the beauty of birds and the distinction between natural selection and sexual selection, how species evolve to adapt to city life, and the origins of the COVID-19 virus.Show Notes:—Matt's previous appearance on The Remnant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the second installment of The Remnant’s unofficial presidential-biographers series, Jonah Goldberg powwows with Lindsay Chervinsky about John Adams, the Alien and Sedition Acts, unwritten laws, the pardon power, and the centrality of the Continental Army to the development of American identity. Plus, Jonah asks Lindsay about his favorite libertarian urban myth. Shownotes:—Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic—List of vice presidents of the United States—Remnant on Martin Van Buren—George Washington’s cover letter—Jeffrey Rosen - The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America—General Orders, 4 July 1775 The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg ruminates on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's inauguration speech and the mayor's strange appeal to the "warmth of collectivism." He then reviews Paul Thomas Anderson's film One Battle After Another and explains how the Minnesota fraud story is discrediting some mainstream journalists. Show Notes:—The Remnant with Chris Stirewalt The Remnant is a production of ⁠⁠The Dispatch⁠⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠⁠click here⁠⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠⁠by clicking here⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg invites Nuke LaLoosh LARPer Chris Stirewalt to discuss the biggest political gaffes of 2025, debate whether House Speaker Mike Johnson is a human in a lizard suit or a lizard in a human suit, and name the most punchable faces from the past year. Show Notes:—Jonah's interview with Rahm Emmanuel The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caving to popular demand for more talk about Straussians, Jonah Goldberg sits down with Laura Field to discuss the ideas driving the New Right. Follow Laura and Jonah as they fall down rabbit holes and explore digressions in the complicated story of 20th-century conservatism, the rise of MAGA, and the intellects behind Trumpism. Shownotes:—Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right—Remnant on Straussians—Project 2025—“The Flight 93 Election”—Michael Anton: “Harry V. Jaffa: An Appreciation”—1776 Commission Report—Yoram Hazony: The Virtue of Nationalism—Herbert Croly: The Promise Of American Life—Charles A. Reich: The Greening of America—The 1619 Project—Marco Rubio: “Industrial Policy, Right and Wrong”—Patrick Deneen: Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future—The American Mind—Richard Reinsch: “‘Furious Minds’ Review: The Road to MAGA”—Jonah on Invasion of the Body Snatchers and MAGA converts— Peter Schramm: “Born American, But in the Wrong Place” The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having a bad end of the year? You’re not alone. Listen to Jonah take on those who say there’s a war on Christmas, meander through some economic punditry (no, he is not an expert), and cheer on Ben Shapiro from the very lonely sidelines. Plus: We’re rooting for you, Ben Sasse. Show Notes:—A Pilgrim's Calling—Democrats Are Thrilled That Trump Will Hit the Midterms Trail The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—click here. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member by clicking here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With antisemites coming out of the woodwork and everyone all a-muddle about ‘Christian Zionism,’ there’s only one thing to do: break the glass and get Russell Moore. Join Russ and Jonah Goldberg as they wrestle with the baffling dynamics of our time, including Evangelical fads, far-right ascendence, groyper catering, religious revival, and the possibility of a new anti-tech party. Shownotes:—Heritage Foundation President Addresses Staff After Video Refusal to Cancel Tucker Carlson—Rod Dreher - “What I Saw And Heard In Washington”—Jonah G-File on the youth—Hillary Clinton - It Takes a Village—Julien Benda - Treason of the Intellectuals—Charlie Kirk memorial: Erika Kirk—Trump's remarks at Charlie Kirk's funeral—Jesse Arm Remnant—Rahm Emanuel Remnant The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She’s back folks! Amid unprecedented fanfare, Megan McArdle returns to The Remnant to discuss our economic situation, perceptions of generational inequity, free-range kids, civil rights, and what we owe the dead. Shownotes:—Megan’s last appearance on The Remnant—President Trump addresses the nation—NYT Sierra Club piece—Megan’s piece about her brother—Dispatch Pod on Megan’s article—Megan on nostalgia—Matt Walsh tweet—Compact: “The Lost Generation” The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the end of a long day, Jonah Goldberg lights a Montecristo and reflects on the passing of Norman Podhoretz, Megan McArdle’s weighty abortion article, the limits of ideas, originalism and Burkeanism, Trump’s egomania, and his pride in The Dispatch. Shownotes:—Tevi Troy on Norman Podhoretz—GLoP Culture Pod—“My Negro Problem—And Ours”—Friday’s Dispatch Pod—Megan McArdle’s article—Tuesday’s Dispatch Pod on Megan’s article—Suicide of the West—Jonah - “The Specter of McDonald’s”—Jonah - “Cocaine Is Not Mustard Gas”—MillionPodcasts.com—Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right—Yarvin tweet—AO Pod - Burkeanism and the Administrative State—The Rest Is History—Law, Legislation and Liberty—Last weeks’ Ruminant—Excalibur—Dispatch Junto program The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Manhattan Institute’s Jesse Arm joins Jonah Goldberg to talk about the makeup of the new GOP, the future of the parties, 2028, and perception vs. reality in American politics. Shownotes:—Commentary Magazine Podcast with Jesse Arm—The New GOP: Survey Analysis of Americans Overall, Today’s Republican Coalition, and the Minorities of MAGA—George Will at the Washington Post—Arm’s Interview with Richard Hanania—Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change—Arm on the Klein-Ganz interview—Trump grades his economy an ‘A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus'—Abigail Shrier - Manhattan Institute—Ryan Thorpe and Chris Rufo on Minnesota fraud—CBS News Presents: A Town Hall with Erika Kirk—Charlie Kirk: Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life—Remnant with Rahm Emanuel—Kevin Phillips: The Emerging Republican Majority—Ben Wattenberg: The Real Majority—Ruy Teixeira: The Emerging Democratic Majority⁠ The Remnant is a production of ⁠⁠The Dispatch⁠⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠⁠click here⁠⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠⁠by clicking here⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonah Goldberg invites Rahm Emanuel, former Chicago mayor and ambassador to Japan, aboard The Remnant to talk about the culinary wonders of Japan, the need for a more centrist politics, income inequality, and Rahm’s case for banning social media for America’s youth. Shownotes:—Jessica Riedl on seizing billionaire wealth—Rahm in Politico on a youth social media ban—Ro Khanna on CNN talking about TikTok—Jonathan Haidt: The Anxious Generation The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

His head all aswirl with yet-to-be-released Remnants, Jonah Goldberg moseys on down to the swamp for a swim with the punditry alligators. Jonah covers the Indiana redistricting that was not, gunboat diplomacy, nonexistent mustard-gas whores, evil AI, amending the Constitution, and the d-bag of the year. Shownotes:—Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right—The Arena with Kasie Hunt—Dead metaphors G-File—Cocaine Is Not Mustard Gas G-File—A Man of Great Sideburns | Interview: James M. Bradley—The Dispatch's Charles Hilu on Congress and trade—Yoram Hazony's The Virtue of Nationalism—Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz Interview with Sam Tannenhaus, Vanity Fair—Economist - “When LLMs learn to take shortcuts, they become evil”—Yuval Levin's American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again—Glenn Beck Interviews AI GEORGE WASHINGTON—Scott Lincicome: “The $140,000 ‘Poverty Line’ Is Laughably Wrong, So Why Does It Feel Right?” The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Jonah Goldberg is joined by James M. Bradley, the greatest living biographer of President Martin Van Buren. Together, they cover the institutionalization of the parties, the rise of Jacksonian populism, the early Free Soil Party, the Mexican-American War, the Revolutions of 1848, and the features and bugs of our modern party system. Shownotes:—Martin Van Buren: America's First Politician—Kramer vs. the Van Buren Boys | Seinfeld The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Remnant coup d’état continues as Kevin Williamson sits down with journalist Colin Woodard to talk about our country’s most deeply seated cultural divisions. Woodard and Williamson cover Texas, the Puritans, Appalachia, Donald Trump’s ethnonationalism, regional Covid-19 trends, and shifting party geography. Shownotes:—Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America—American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America—Old Deluder Satan Act of 1647—J.D. Vance’s Claremont speech—Homeland Security “a heritage to be proud of” tweet—Kevin on John Brown for The Dispatch—The Pell Center Nationhood Lab—“Nationhood Lab: The Story of America” report The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from your podcast experience, consider becoming a premium Dispatch member ⁠by clicking here⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices