The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Hyped up on cold medicine and battling delirium, Jonah Goldberg sets off with Elliott Abrams on a globe-trotting adventure in foreign policy covering Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, India, and more. Along the way they discuss the nature of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, the consequences of American unpredictability, Americans' conceptions of human rights abroad, the utility of the term “neoconservative,” and the lies the U.N. was founded on.Show Notes: —Elliott Abrams profile—"Further Back to the Future: Neo-Royalism, the Trump Administration, and the Emerging International System”—Eli Lake on The Remnant—Honor Among Nations: Intangible Interests and Foreign PolicyThe 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

Back by popular demand, the great jurist-philosopher and godfather of American conservatism Robby George has returned to The Remnant to set Jonah Goldberg straight about truth, natural law, and the common good. Jonah and Robby talk about the Western tradition, the age of feelings, different kinds of rights, the death penalty, new paganism, and Robby’s desire to fight for the soul of conservatism. Shownotes:—Seeking Truth and Speaking Truth: Law and Morality in Our Cultural Moment—George Varouxakis' The West: The History of an Idea—Martin Luther King Jr.'s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”—What Is Marriage?: Man and Woman: A Defense—Jonah’s first book—Patrick Deneen's Why Liberalism Failed—“The Flight 93 Election”—Populism and Elitism: Politics in the Age of Equality 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 Ruminant is vindicated!!! After years of Steve Hayes and The Fair Jessica griping about Jonah’s peculiar habit of ruminating alone in his basement, new stats have proved their skepticism decidedly misplaced. Tune in to learn all about it, along with Jonah’s thoughts on the terms ‘progressive’ and ‘fascist,’ the Melania movie, Trump’s state-capitalism, The Washington Post, and hypocrisy as a violation of the American creed. But first, some sad news… Shownotes:—Friday’s Dispatch Pod—Megan McArdle - “There’s a way to stop Trump. First, drop the fascism debate.”—Jonah’s book Liberal Fascism—Jonah in The Free Press: “The January 6th Republicans”—Clinton In 2007: I Prefer Calling Myself “Progressive” To “Liberal”—Orwell - “Politics and the English Language”—NYT - “Small Businesses Wither Under Trump’s Tariffs: ‘It’s Hard to Breathe’”—AO Pod on nationalizing elections—Slate - “I Wrote a Book in Support of Nationalizing Elections. Trump Changed My Mind.”—Commentary Podcast on The Washington Post—Jonah’s LA Times column—Alex Demas’s Dispatch piece on Trump’s corruption 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

Every once and a while, The Remnant rewards a faithful listener by bringing him on the show. Well, assuming he’s a national security expert. One such lucky listener is Eli Lake, who joins Jonah Goldberg to talk about the Shah of Iran, the Ayatollah, the current state of play in Islamic Republic, President Trump, and B.S. levels in our politics. Shownotes:—Eli’s piece: “Reza Pahlavi: Iran’s Reluctant Prince”—Eli’s Breaking History podcast—Remnant with Ken Pollack—Iranian Commander's Daughter SECRETLY Calls Radio: 'My Father Is A Monster!’—Part 1 of The Rest Is History podcast on Iran—Kermit Roosevelt’s memoir—Ross Douthat’s article on conservatism—Jonah’s response to Ross’ article 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

Today on The Remnant, university-reform eggheads Ben and Jenna Storey join Neanderthal-in-remediation Jonah Goldberg to talk about civic education and recent efforts to rejuvenate American higher ed. Jonah and the Storeys cover university governance, the relationship between civics and the liberal arts, the significance of postliberalism, and the reasons for thinking seriously. Show Notes:—Center for the Future of the American University—Ben and Jenna Storey’s book - Why We Are Restless—Robert Michels - Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchial Tendencies of Modern Democracy—AAUP’s 1915 Declaration of Principles—Why Liberalism Failed—Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future—Remnant episode with Will Inboden on higher ed reform 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, haggard and weary, returns from his cross-country blizzard travels grateful to sit once again in his misanthrope’s podcasting den and record a Ruminant. Jonah unpacks his recent conversation with Pete Buttigieg, exposes the number of unfortunate careers launched by John Podhoretz, takes down Yoram Hazony and the NatCons, and analyzes the fallout from the Alex Pretti shooting in Minneapolis. Shownotes:—Remnant on Tucker Carlson—Remnant with Matt Franck—Steve Hayes in The Dispatch on Jason Zengerle's Tucker book—Dr. Yoram Hazony's speech at 2nd International Conference on Combating Antisemitism—Tablet: “Yoram Hazony’s 15 Minutes”—Last Friday’s G-File—The Editor’s Podcast: The Greenland Stand Down—Michael Arthur Ledeen: Universal Fascism—Jonah for The Dispatch: “Trump, Vance, and the Greenland Effect” 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 was proudly perusing his long list of previous Remnant guests when he discovered a crucial omission! Where is Matt Franck??? In today’s episode, Jonah and Matt have a long overdue sit-down to chew over some important problems, including people’s motivations for going MAGA, unitary executive theory, the pardon power, the Senate’s role in preserving federalism, and what constitutional amendments they would support. Shownotes:—Matt Franck’s Public Discourse page—Remnant with Laura Field on her book, Furious Minds—Morrison v. Olson—Jonah: “What is the most Burkean line from Animal House?”—New York Post on Denmark and the Virgin Islands—G-File: “Impeach Joe Biden … Seriously”—Yuval Levin: American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again—Last week’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

When Captain Jonah Goldberg goes missing during his icy search for the Northwest Passage, first mate Steve Hayes commandeers The HMS Remnant and steers her into troubled waters. Joined by The Dispatch's John McCormack, Steve invites aboard journalist Jason Zengerle to discuss his new book on the fascinating and unnerving career of Tucker Carlson. Together, the trio cover the creation of The Daily Caller, Tucker’s Trump-fueled comeback at Fox, and his ultimate embrace of Nick Fuentes and the extreme right. Shownotes:—Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind—John McCormack for The Dispatch: “What Happened to Tucker Carlson?”—Steve’s review of Hated by All the Right People—CPAC: Tucker Carlson Tries to Defend the New York Times, Gets Booed—Tucker talking to the firefighters—Patriot Purge—Steve’s book: Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President 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

As Jonah Goldberg gears up to brave the coming snowpocalypse, he pauses to consider the times, reflecting on President Donald Trump’s waste of political capital over Greenland, the long-term effects of college protest culture, the creepiness of antisemitic thinking, and—most importantly—his takes on Star Trek and America’s great sitcoms.Shownotes:—The most recent Dispatch Pod—Katie Pavlich interviews Trump for NewsNation—Last week’s G-File—NYT post-mortem on Biden immigration policy—“U. Topia” - Jonah in National Review—GLoP podcast—“The 26 best neighbors in TV sitcom history, ranked” - Washington Post—Wednesday’s G-File—Douthat’s NYT piece—G-File on Nixon—Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Change 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

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