On Offense with Kris Goldsmith

Who gets to decide who is a terrorist? In this episode of On Offense, Kris Goldsmith sits down with Ian Austin, a former Army Ranger who deployed six times and is now facing federal charges tied to an anti-ICE action in Minnesota. Ian says he went to Minneapolis because he saw something he recognized: fear, force, and a government using power against civilians in ways that felt disturbingly familiar. In this conversation, he talks about war, PTSD, moral injury, activism, and what it feels like to be prosecuted by the same government he once fought for. This is a raw interview about trauma, conscience, protest, and the cost of taking action when democracy is under attack. Support Ian Austin’s legal defense: https://www.gofundme.com/f/ian-austin-support-fund Watch the Abolish ICE concert and fundraiser featuring Dropkick Murphys: https://abolishice.live Subscribe to On Offense: Substack: https://onoffense.substack.com Follow Kris Goldsmith: Linktree: https://linktr.ee/KrisGoldsmith If this episode matters to you, share it widely.

In this deeply emotional episode of On Offense, Kris Goldsmith brings listeners to Minneapolis for two conversations recorded in the wake of the killing of Alex Pretti and the federal immigration crackdown that has shaken the city. First, Kris sits down with Matt Gordon, better known online as @USMCAngryVeteran, to talk about why he has been traveling the country since Donald Trump’s return to office, what he has seen on the ground, and why veterans have a responsibility to speak out when Americans are being terrorized by their own government. Then the episode takes an unexpected turn. After the interview, Kris realizes that the veteran Matt had been talking about throughout their conversation was sitting right there in the room. That veteran is Riveter — a Minnesotan, a street medic, and a former patient of Alex Pretti, the VA nurse whose death has become a symbol of what Minneapolis has endured. Together, Matt and Riveter speak with Kris about grief, joy, service, community, and what it means to fight for democracy here at home. If this episode moves you, please watch the full concert and fundraiser at AbolishICE.live and donate to support the local community. Veterans Fighting Fascism is collecting the donations, but not keeping a penny. Every dollar is going directly to people in Minneapolis who need help right now. This is the first of several Minneapolis interviews coming to On Offense in the weeks ahead, including conversations with Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey, Black Forest Inn owner Gina Christ, and former Army Ranger Ian Austin. Subscribe to On Offense on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and Substack, and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

The Courts vs. DHS: ICE, Executive Power & the Rule of Law Federal judges across the country are being forced to confront a question that sits at the core of constitutional democracy: when DHS and ICE push the boundaries of their authority, who stops them? In this episode of On Offense, Kris Goldsmith is joined by legal journalist Chris Geidner, founder of Law Dork, to break down what’s actually happening inside the courts as immigration detention policies, executive actions, and long-settled legal frameworks are tested under pressure. This conversation is about more than immigration policy. It’s about whether institutions still function when they’re stressed — and what it looks like when judges, lawyers, journalists, and ordinary people defend the rule of law in real time. Follow and support Chris Geidner: 📰 Law Dork: https://www.lawdork.com/ 🦋 Chris Geidner on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/chrisgeidner.bsky.social 🦋 Law Dork News on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lawdorknews.bsky.social More from Kris and Task Force Butler: 📚 Start or join an Antifascist Book Club: https://veteransfightingfascism.org 🧰 Field manuals and organizing tools: https://taskforcebutler.org Support On Offense Subscribe on Substack: https://onoffense.substack.com/p/courts-vs-dhs-judges-stopping-ice

Hate doesn’t stay on the margins. It shows up in city council meetings, school board races, local sheriff elections, and “community” groups that want to look normal while they build power. In this episode, I’m joined by Phil Williams, chief investigative reporter at NewsChannel 5 Nashville and the writer behind Hate Comes to Main Street. Phil has documented how extremist networks embed themselves locally—how they recruit, intimidate, and normalize their presence in civic life—and what it takes to push back before they take over. We talk about: How hate groups move from online propaganda to real-world influence Why local politics is where extremist movements test strategies first How intimidation campaigns target journalists—and why sunlight still works What you can do in your own town to go on offense Read and subscribe to Phil’s work: https://www.hatecomestomainstreet.com/ If you’re serious about acting locally: Start or join an Antifascist Book Club: https://veteransfightingfascism.org Access antifascist field manuals and organizing tools: https://taskforcebutler.org Support this work: On Offense is my full-time focus. If this episode helped you understand how hate embeds locally—and how to push back—consider becoming a paid subscriber at https://weareonoffense.com. No one’s coming to save your town. But you can defend it. Let’s go on offense.

Since Trump’s reelection, people have been desperate for an answer to the question: what do I do now? In this episode of On Offense, I’m joined by Christopher Armitage, the writer behind Existentialist Republic, to lay out a practical blueprint for engaging local and state power—because it’s far more accessible than most people think. We talk about how everyday people can: Rally friendly local and state officials to take meaningful steps that blunt federal authoritarianism Raise the cost of complicity by making governing uncomfortable for authoritarian collaborators Move beyond outrage and build jurisdictional leverage through state legislatures, attorneys general, city councils, and mayors Apply disciplined pressure with specific demands, meetings, and sustained follow-through If you’re waiting on Washington to save you, you’re going to be waiting a long time. The fight is local—and you have more leverage than you realize. Follow Christopher Armitage: https://cmarmitage.substack.com/ https://buymeacoffee.com/theer Organize locally: Start an Antifascist Book Club: https://veteransfightingfascism.org Access antifascist field manuals: https://taskforcebutler.org P.S. This work—this podcast, this newsletter, this organizing—is now my full-time focus. I stepped into an unpaid role as President of VALOR Media Network, and On Offense is my primary source of income. If you believe in what I’m building, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Every dollar helps support my family and sustain this work. Let’s go on offense.

In this episode of On Offense, Kristofer Goldsmith talks with investigative journalist Christopher Mathias, author of the new book To Catch a Fascist. Mathias spent more than a decade at HuffPost documenting the American far right—from white supremacist rallies and fascist street gangs to the federal agents who enable them. In this conversation, Kris and Chris talk about infiltration, antifascist organizing, the state’s complicity in far-right violence, and how antifascists are building decentralized networks to stop it. This episode includes a personal reflection from Kris on his own radicalization, his infiltrations of Patriot Front, and how To Catch a Fascist captures what motivates antifascists to go on offense—whether they’re organizing in the streets, gathering evidence, or unmasking fascists embedded in state power. Buy the book: To Catch a Fascist by Christopher Mathias Read Chris’s Guardian investigation: Antifa used to unmask neo-Nazis, now it’s exposing ICE: ‘Predators don’t get anonymity’ Follow Chris on Bluesky: letsgomathias.bsky.social Take action: Start an Antifascist Book Club Explore antifascist field manuals and tools Support the show: https://onoffense.substack.com

Tim Whitaker is the founder of The New Evangelicals — a platform created to help evangelicals hold onto their faith without being pulled into a theocratic political movement. In this episode of On Offense, Kris Goldsmith shares his own journey from disillusionment with religion during the Iraq War to a deeper understanding of Christian nationalism as a rising authoritarian threat in America. Together, Kris and Tim unpack the ideology, identity, and propaganda fueling the far-right’s Christian nationalist movement — and how we can fight back. Follow Tim Whitaker: 👉 Substack 👉 Instagram 👉 YouTube Support On Offense: Subscribe, rate, and share the show. Every post, comment, and review helps build a stronger pro-democracy movement. weareonoffense.com Get organized: Download the Antifascist Book Club guides and take action locally at veteransfightingfascism.org

How far would you go to fight authoritarianism? In this episode of On Offense, Kris Goldsmith speaks with Rachel Cohen—a Harvard Law grad who quit her Big Law job at Skadden and put her body on the line to confront ICE operations in Chicago and Minneapolis. Rachel didn’t wait for mass arrests or national headlines—she got arrested before the raids began. She took action before things escalated. This episode is about what it means to face your fears, test your red lines, and move from resistance to intervention. Kris opens with a deeply personal reflection on how—even in spaces where he was empowered to speak out—he still made compromises. He obeyed in advance. And he challenges listeners to ask: are you doing the same? Guest links: 👉 Rachel Cohen on Substack 👉 Instagram: @Cohen.489 👉 TikTok: @Cohen.489 Get organized: 📚 Download the Antifascist Book Club Guides 💻 Learn more at Task Force Butler Subscribe to On Offense on Substack, Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Produced for the VALOR Media Network. Join the movement at weareonoffense.com

America’s status as a global superpower isn’t guaranteed—and it may already be gone. In this episode of On Offense, national security expert Dr. Nola Haynes joins Kris Goldsmith to talk about the collapse of U.S. credibility, the damage of “Trump policy,” and the reckoning America must face—at home and on the world stage. This isn’t just a conversation about decline. It’s about what comes next—and what it will take for us to go on offense. 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 📺 Watch on YouTube 📰 Subscribe to Dr. Nola Haynes’ #SecurityBrief on Substack ✊ Read the full episode post: https://onoffense.substack.com/p/americas-global-reckoning-dr-nola-haynes

In the 1930s, U.S. Marine General Smedley Butler stopped a fascist coup backed by Wall Street. Today, under Trump’s second term, the same forces are rising again—from threats of war in Venezuela to coordinated attacks on democracy at home. Historian and journalist Jonathan M. Katz joins On Offense to break down Butler’s legacy, America’s long history of imperialism, and what it means to organize against fascism in 2025. We cover: The Business Plot and America’s first coup attempt Butler’s evolution from warfighter to whistleblower How elites manipulate veterans to serve authoritarian goals Trump’s foreign policy and echoes of gunboat diplomacy How to go on offense against the far right 📘 Read Gangsters of Capitalism → jonathanmkatz.com/gangsters 📰 Subscribe to Jonathan’s newsletter → theracket.news/links 🎧 Follow On Offense and visit weareonoffense.com for more. #WeAreOnOffense #JonathanKatz #SmedleyButler #GangstersOfCapitalism #Trump #Coup #Antifascism #Venezuela

Lieutenant General Russel Honoré doesn’t talk like most generals—and in this conversation, he doesn’t mince words about politicians who glorify war but avoid accountability, or veterans who use their military service as a shield while undermining democracy. That’s exactly why I wanted to have him on On Offense. Honoré knows what it means to lead troops under pressure. He’s the kind of leader who called out systemic failures in real time after Hurricane Katrina—and he hasn’t stopped holding power accountable since. In this episode, we talk about what happens when the military becomes a political pawn—and why the deployments of troops onto American streets reminds him of America’s darkest moments of the 20th century. And we talk about how real service doesn’t end with the uniform—unless you trade your values for a comfortable seat and fat check. Here are some of the stakes we dig into: The threats facing troops and veterans from extremists and disinformation What it means to be “combat ineffective” in a democracy under attack How to take care of our people without feeding a culture of violence What accountability looks like in the age of Trump and Hegseth If you believe in the mission of this show, share this episode. Subscribe. Leave a review. Follow On Offense on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Learn more and get involved at weareonoffense.com

On January 6, 2021, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn stood his ground against the violent mob that tried to overturn the election. In this episode of On Offense, Kris Goldsmith—combat veteran and antifascist investigator—sits down with Harry to talk about what it took to defend democracy that day—and why the fight isn’t over. They get into: What it felt like to face off with insurrectionists in real time Why Harry is still organizing, speaking out, and staying in the fight What service looks like after January 6 How everyday people can join the fight in 2025 🎧 Follow On Offense on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 🌐 Learn more and take action: weareonoffense.com More on Harry Dunn: 📘 Standing My Ground — Buy the book ✍️ Standing Our Ground — Subscribe to Harry’s Substack 🥃 Pours and Perspectives — Listen on the Siren Network 🧹 Cleanup on Aisle 45 — Watch with Allison Gill and Harry Dunn

Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey joins host Kris Goldsmith for a conversation about punk, patriotism, and the fight against fascism in the Trump era. For over 30 years, Dropkick Murphys have called out Nazis and racists—from the stage, in their lyrics, and with their platform. In this episode of On Offense, Ken talks about why the band has always been political—and why more artists should speak out. In this episode: Ken’s response to Trump using DKM’s music without permission Why being anti-fascist is central to punk The loneliness of speaking up when others won’t Solidarity between working-class veterans and musicians Watch the video version on VALOR Media Network. Read more at onoffense.substack.com.

Historian and veteran Tad Stoermer joins host Kris Goldsmith for the debut episode of On Offense. Together, they dig into the dangerous power of patriotic myth-making—like that in Ken Burns’ ‘feel-good history’—and how it’s left Americans unprepared to face modern authoritarianism. They cover: What the Founders really understood about tyranny Why “defending democracy” isn’t enough The danger of comforting lies in history and politics How to start fighting back—right now Visit onoffense.substack.com for the full write-up and more episodes.

On Offense with Kris Goldsmith is a new podcast for anyone ready to fight for democracy and stand up to fascism. Hosted by U.S. Army combat veteran and antifascist investigator Kris Goldsmith, each episode goes inside extremist movements, breaks down how the far right is seizing power, and features frontline voices from the fight against authoritarianism. Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts.Watch full episodes right here on VALOR Media Network.Visit weareonoffense.com to learn more.#OnOffense #KrisGoldsmith #FightFascism #VeteransAgainstFascism #ProDemocracy