The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

You thought it was over. After the Napoleon III Remnant ran nearly two hours, observers and pundits the world over said this had to be the end. How could anyone, even Jonah Goldberg, have an appetite for more? But wait—who’s that dark figure lurking in the wings? Oh no. It’s … Kevin D. Williamson. 

Apparently Jonah’s chemical addiction to 19th-century French politics stirred something in Kevin’s mind, so much so that the man began writing a book about “the sacrosanct presidency.” And they say deeply fruitful intellectual friendships are dead. But don’t worry, gentle liste...

After spending four days deep in the Adirondacks, Jonah has emerged like Rousseau’s noble savage: reflective, in touch with nature, and ready to talk for two hours as a disembodied podcast voice. If that seems incongruous to you, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Listen in as disembodied Jonah pontificates on disowning the establishment, J.D. Vance’s prospects for president, the iron law of oligarchy, elites, Locke vs. Rousseau, the general will, Tucker Carlson, the DSA, the Michigan Senate race, the meaning of progressive, etymological conundrums, Wisconsin politics, Iran, the meaning of The Remnant, the superfluous men, and A...

It’s time to be honest: Jonah Goldberg can’t remember if he’s ever had a Nobel Prize-winning guest on The Remnant. If that shocks you, calm down. It’s called getting old. After today, however, Jonah can say with certainty that he has, as he is joined by Nobel laureate in economics Daron Acemoglu. Listen in as Jonah and Daron light up the Remnant bingo card like a Hanukkah bush, covering liberal democracy, community, subsidiarity, the welfare state, status, prosperity gaps, AI, automation, China, abundance, the working class, Zohran Mamdani, and the Democratic Party.

Show Notes:<...

Jonah Goldberg scratches an intellectual itch in this 90-minute interview with British historian Edward Shawcross to discuss the rise and fall of Napoleon III. Is this the start of modern politics? Can we compare Trump to this unlikely political victor? Are elites and foreign powers the favorite boogeymen of populists everywhere? Stay tuned for a brief history lesson and indulgent wonkery. 

Show Notes:

—Edward Shawcross’s book: The People’s Emperor: The Unlikely Rise and Spectacular Fall of Napoleon III

—‘A dwarf atop a great wave’

—The Lost History of Liberalism

Le...

Jonah Goldberg records this week’s Ruminant days before his excursion to the woods (Bigfoot sighting anyone?), to discuss international law, hubris, whatever the mess is with the Iran war, and “common good” conservatism. And he answers questions from listeners. 

Show Notes:

—How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran

—Aaron MacLean Remnant 

—Aaron MacLean and Mark Montgomery on School of War

—The Mind and the Market: Capitalism in Western Thought

—Yuval Levin Remnant

—The Neutrality Myth: Liberty, Order, and the Common Good

—Jonah’s X thr...

Bleary-eyed, scrambled, and in need of a second overpriced venti black coffee, Jonah Goldberg speaks with Brendan Simms, a Cambridge Don-guy who wears fancy belts, about his new book, Return of the Great Powers, which discusses how the Russia-Ukraine war sparked how the Russia-Ukraine War prompted the West to act, China’s potential defeat if Russia loses, Trump as a mob boss, and technology as a driver of cultural change. 

Show Notes:

—Brendan Simms: Return of the Great Powers

—Brendan Simms: Donald Trump: The Making of a Worldview

—Francis Fukuyama: The End of Hi...

Detractors frequently accuse Jonah Goldberg of being an irrelevant dinosaur. We at The Remnant are proud to say that only one of those accusations is correct. We are also proud to say that Jonah’s dinosaurness does not prevent him from conversing with young, hip, and cool members of today’s media landscape. “Prove it,” you say? Well, today we bring you a podcast with none other than Jerusalem Demsas, founder of The Argument and one of the coolest center-left pundits. Join Jonah and Jerusalem as they dive into positive and negative freedoms, the college landscape, the Democratic Socialists of Ameri...

As DSA and postliberal pirates storm the decks of the HMS Remnant, Captain Jonah Goldberg would seem to be in dire straits. Nonetheless, Captain Jonah—with an eerie air of calm—draws his cutlass, sets down his cigar, and smiles. Prepare, gentle listener, for a bloodbath. Today Jonah deftly handles every controversy on the docket, including Hasan Piker, Ukraine as Israel, the Michigan Senate race, Anthony Fauci, Covid in retrospective, rap music, Napoleon III, J.D. Vance, the common good, subsidiarity, the Constitution, and Hamas. 

Show Notes:

—Hasan Piker collar video

—Last week’s Ruminant ...

Every once in a while, The Remnant staff need to remind Jonah Goldberg that we’re running a business here, and that he can’t just putz around with Pod, Chris, or Sarah on every episode. Sometimes, you need someone respectable; sometimes, you need an expert. Today’s guest—the expert to rule them all—is Ken Pollack, here to tell us all about the war in Iran. Join Jonah and Ken as they discuss pain thresholds, public opinion inside Iran, the fallout of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death, the ideology of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Persian nationalism, the original...

Here at The Remnant, our hate list is rather long: Woodrow Wilson, electoral primaries, German romanticism … the list goes on and on. But if there’s one we hate that doesn’t get enough air time, it’s Chinese communism. We hate Chinese communism. That’s why we’ve recruited from the ranks of America’s foremost anti-CCP institution—that’s the American Enterprise Institute, for those of you who live under rocks—to bring you the latest on Chinese grand strategy. AEI’s Audrye Wong joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss Beijing’s international investment, Chinese diaspora, influence operations, Taiwan, bribery, Chinese...

First mate Steve Hayes strides across the deck, grinning maniacally at the cowering crew. “Mine” he crows to himself. “Mine! The HMS Remnant is finally mine! Muahahaha!” The crew, downcast, is near despair. Then suddenly, all eyes turn to the gangplank. Haggard, sunburned, stricken, and emaciated, Jonah Goldberg stumbles onto the deck, takes Hayes by the collar, and gasps, “Sand. Nothing but sand.”

After recovering down below, Captain Goldberg is back at the helm and ready to dive into the Grand Canyon, advertising, Vegas, Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey, the Christianization thesis, black Helen, DSA, voter turnout, the stupidity of a...

What does it mean to be an American? What is government for? What reforms will fix our political system? Join Jonah Goldberg, Yuval Levin, and 100 little policy gnomes at the American Enterprise Institute to find out! Jonah and Yuval cover America at 250 and reflect on the Bicentennial. They also discuss Graham Platner versus Ken Paxton, what it means to hold office, America’s 50/50 problem, unitary executive theory, the administrative state, civic virtue, election reform, Nixonian propaganda, and taking people as they find them. 

Show Notes:

—AEI’s America at 250 series 

—Remnant on E. E. Schatts...

Jonah Goldberg has been chewing over how to reduce the number of gray hairs in Congress for some time now. Unfortunately, the best that he and The Remnant team have come up with is shaving the heads of all the senior senators, which, seeming somewhat impractical, led Jonah to call in an expert. Science correspondent and longtime friend of the show Ronald Bailey joins the merry band today to set us all straight on RFK Jr., vaccines, MAHA, DOGE, libertarianism, bad analogies for government, transhumanism, gerontocracy, term limits, libertarian Shangri-La, Francis Fukuyama, institutions, economic growth, Thomas Jefferson, invention, and...

It’s summer, and in honor of the backyard cookouts and pool parties that make our country great, Jonah Goldberg and Dispatch multimedia producer Victoria Holmes have served up a smorgasbord of listener questions to help people get through the heat (and smog … thanks, Canada). Listen in to hear about how Jonah changed his mind about writing another book, the life of a pundit, reading habits, camper vans, jobs Jonah could’ve had, public speaking, Ares vs. Mars, what voting says about you, annexing Canada, Israel’s nukes, despair as a sin, writer’s block, and much, much more. 

Show...

Longtime listeners of The Remnant know well Jonah Goldberg’s hatred of the extremist, oligarchic, necromantic political conclaves holding our nation hostage, otherwise known as primaries. Nonetheless, listeners are left with many questions unanswered: How did populists seize the GOP in 2016? What should replace primaries for candidate selection? What will go down in 2028? Will Yuval Levin be on the ticket? 

Here to put an end to all speculation is political scientist Seth Masket, who joins Jonah to talk about the Tea Party, Donald Trump’s charisma, Bill Clinton as a precursor to Trump, primaries, county-scale politics, party leade...

Jonah Goldberg knows his time is nearly up. In a few days, his body will be baking in the Arizona sun, washed up on the rocks at some bend in the Colorado River, just the next casualty of mandatory fun time. Time to go out with a bang. Join Jonah as he steers the HMS Remnant into position for a ripping, boneshattering broadside into the Red Fleet of the Democratic Socialists of America. Along the way, listen as the doomed Captain Jonah ruminates on new liberal friends, policing one’s own side, Israel, socialists, bravery on the cheap, Graham Pl...

We’ve decided to go on a bit of a foreign policy spree here at The Remnant. And why not? Everyone needs a hobby. Today Rebeccah Heinrichs joins Jonah Goldberg to go deep on Iran, NATO, allies, Operation Epic Fury, realism in Ukraine, MAGA, isolationist failure, J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio, Israel, national conservatism, antisemitism, and America’s posture in the world. 

Show Notes:

—Aaron MacLean Remnant

—Francis Dearnley Remnant

—Heinrichs in National Review: “Strengthen NATO, Don’t Wreck It”

—Brendan Simms: The Return of the Great Powers

—Iran: The Latest...

Here at The Remnant, we strive to cover pressing issues that matter. Not content with copying and pasting other folk’s reporting, we go straight to the sources ourselves to bring their words to your ears. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into one of the topics that matters most to our nation, and to the world: the Annapolis Cup Croquet Match. You think we’re kidding, but we’re not. 

But don’t worry—if bombs, bullets, and dead ayatollahs are more your thing, we’ve got you covered too. School of War podcast host Aaron MacLean j...

June was a long month, and Jonah Goldberg is feeling entitled to a little bit of self-indulgence. Instead of turning to the bottle, however, he has opted for a rollicking, frolicsome ramble through the deep history of conspiracy theory. Jonah is joined by Andrew McKenzie-McHarg, author of the definitive volume on the topic, to discuss conspiracy theory (singular), etymology, secularization, 19th-century social science, the paranoid style, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Argentina, magic and science, antisemitism, apocalyptic thinking, Karl Popper, Richard Hofstadter, Karl Marx, World War I, Donald Trump, social media, institutions, and Catholicism.

Show...

Having sweat through three shirts and appeared on eight podcasts before noon, Jonah Goldberg is fighting through a mountain of work before the early weekend kicks off. But fear not, gentle listeners: Few men work better under pressure than Jonah. Today’s Ruminant is an absolute throwdown on sexist jabronis on the right, the birthright citizenship case, codes of common decency, unitary executive theory, assimilation, Israel and anti-semitism, and the nation state. Buckle up. 

Show Notes:

—Jonah’s underrated second book

—The DisPod

—Jonah in The Dispatch: “The Birthright Citizenship Debate Is About to G...

The year is 2004. Jonah Goldberg and Steve Hayes, young and clean shaven, stride through the National Archives. Stopping, they gaze down at a yellowed leaf of parchment. “I’m gonna steal it.” Jonah mutters. “What?” Steve asks. Jonah clenches his jaw. “I’m gonna steal the Declaration of Independence.” 

Fortunately, Steve talked Jonah out of his hairbrained scheme and both men remained free, unincarcerated citizens. Unfortunately, the many secrets of the Declaration that Jonah hoped to uncover remained lost to history … until now. To mark and celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, Jonah is joined by Michael Aus...

We love talking about nations here at Chateau de Remnant Today, Rana Dasgupta is dropping by to shake things up and discuss his new book, After Nations. Jonah Goldberg and Rana cover nation-states, liberalism, state-corporation cooperation, the iron law of oligarchy, capitalism, economic determinism, mass human migration, creative solutions for changing environments, and the future of power. 

Show Notes:

—After Nations: The Making and Unmaking of a World Order

The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The...

After waking up in a trash pile under the Francis Scott Key Bridge (his favorite haunt), Jonah Goldberg has walked his dogs, stumbled to his American Enterprise Institute office, and is ready to talk shop. Today Jonah gets into the Hinckley Hilton, Washington police, “Kant,” being late, wokery, the art of canine flatulence expression, Darializa Avila Chevalier, weak parties, the evils of primaries, the free beer party, Iran, J.D. Vance beclowning himself, Richard Nixon, “Me Too Republicans,” and his own car.

Show Notes:

—The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790

—92nd Street NY Dispod

With telegrams full of breaking news flying in from across the pond, Jonah Goldberg has found himself in desperate need of a good Brit whisperer. Fortunately, Cambridge man and Atlanticist Francis Dearnley has boldly stepped up to the plate, joining Jonah to discuss the ousting of Keir Starmer, the rise of Andy Burnham, progress in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky’s “long-range sanctions,” Soviet Union collapse analogies, Russian political culture, Zelensky’s post-war political future, European views of Donald Trump and Iran, transatlantic relations, the world cup, and Oliver Cromwell’s head. 

Show Notes:

—Ukraine: The Latest Podcast

Jonah Goldberg invites John Podhoretz back to The Remnant to provide some much-needed cathartic release over the disastrous memorandum of understanding with Iran and to discuss JD Vance's future within the Republican Party.

Show notes:

—GLoP podcast

—Abe Greenwald for Commentary

—Jonah's G-File on Greenland

The Remnant is a production of ⁠The Dispatch⁠, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a nonpartisan perspective. To access all of The Dispatch’s offerings—including the Saturday Ruminant, audio versions of all our articles and newsletters, and Jonah’s twice-weekly G-F...

Jonah Goldberg ruminates on the memorandum of understanding between U.S. and Iran, the joy of seeing Europeans explore America, and what's wrong with the modern definition of poverty.

Show notes:

—Thursday’s Boiling Frogs

—Marc Caputo's interview with Trump

—The Iran War Is What Trumpism Looks Like

—The Iran Peace Deal Is What Trumpism Looks Like

—A German discovers a Bucc-ee's

—Jonah on Elon Musk

—Trump comparing himself to Mao and Stalin

—Cliff Asness on affordability

—Buy Dispatch merch

The Rem...

Jonah Goldberg, still reeling from the harsh tones and rank punditry of Brother Stirewalt and Eli Lake, has turned to the most euphonious man in podcasting—who conveniently happens to be a Lincoln scholar on the side—to dig deep into the question: Who was Abraham Lincoln? Join Jonah and Allen Guelzo as they dive into Civil War alternative histories, Lincoln’s origins, economic and moral attitudes toward slavery, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln’s reading, Andrew Jackson, Whigs, 19th-century conservatism, Shakespeare, Burke, Lincoln’s war leadership, and the Declaration of Independence. 

Show Notes:

—Allen Gu...

Some people just don’t mind being a cheap date, and of all the names in Jonah Goldberg’s little black book, Eli Lake is probably the easiest catch. Nonetheless, listeners are in for a raucous good time, as Jonah and Eli jump straight in on their reevaluations of Iran, Donald Trump’s desired deal, Trump’s “own goals,” Eli’s upcoming history deepdive, the Bush family’s unfair legacy, elites, celebrity culture, envy, Michael Anton, immigration and culture, and whether we needed Trump in 2016. 

Show Notes:

—Eli’s podcast, Breaking History

—Ken Pollock Remnant

...

Having spent 12 hours in near World War I-trench conditions at the Georgetown hospital, Jonah Goldberg is feeling grateful for penicillin and ready to pile in on some good ol’ fashioned eggheadery. After reminiscing about a battlefield experience at a different Washington hospital some years ago, Jonah indulges in some I-told-you-so on Iran, before getting into the midterms, SpaceX, investment regrets, 60 Minutes, Bari Weiss, media bias, Sam Francis, Italian Elite Theory, middle American radicals, Gramsci, and societal restraints on violence. 

Show Notes:

—Friday’s Dispod

—Jonah’s LA Times column on Schrödinger’s ceasefire

Do you feel swampy? Well, do ya punk? We hope you do, because none other than the kingpin of news himself is here to malodorously pontificate on the fusty, fetid sewer that is the 2026 midterms. There ain’t no ninja turtles in these tunnels. Chris Stirewalt joins Jonah Goldberg to hold forth on the Maine primaries, the Los Angeles mayoral race, election fraud claims, Donald Trump at the New York Knicks game, America 250, Todd Blanche, the decline of moral political norms, Scott Pelley, 60 Minutes, and our changing news landscape. 

Show Notes:

—Broken News: Why the Media...

Having grown tired of Sarah Isgur’s vulgar ways, Jonah cast about for a more grounded and respectable guest to grace today’s Remnant. Upon thumbing through the index cards on his vintage rotary address file, Jonah remembered that Luke Burgis went to seminary and decided he would do. Jonah and Luke discuss institutions, rites of passage, the parable of the lost sheep, integralism, transcendence, crowds, groupthink, fragile children, family time, and AI.

Show Notes:

—The One and the Ninety-Nine: Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion

—Last Luke Burgis Remnant

—Nisbe...

Jonah Goldberg, like Plato’s cave-man philosopher, has briefly returned from the land of book writing and enlightenment to ruminate before us poor, shadow-watching mortals. Jonah considers the origin of the term slush fund, waxes poetic on military etymology, and reflects on the Lewinsky scandal, all before getting stuck in on feminism, John Bolton, the republican spirit, Graham Platner, party self-sabotage, and the cult of authenticity. 

Show Notes:

—The Dispatch at the 92nd Street Y

—Robert Nisbet - Prejudices: A Philosophical Dictionary

—Jonah’s underrated second book

—Jonah’s mom on TV

Coming at you from the scene of one of America’s greatest political scandals, Jonah Goldberg and Sarah Isgur are geared up to spill the tea and answer listeners’ most pressing questions: Was Sarah Ted Cruz’s mistress? Has Jonah’s second wife been born yet? How long could a homeless Jonah sleep on Sarah’s couch? Also find out about finding a mentor, manicuring résumés, the most improbable part of Air Force One, how to be a pundit, first dates, finding a wife, making connections at events, staying positive, the Cartesian self, and being the person your dog thi...

The Remnant’s collection of chivalrous gentlemen has been expanded with the addition of Sir Roderick Beaton, renowned scholar of Greek history, language, and literature. And while Jonah Goldberg’s love of Greece goes all the way back to his infatuation with Helena Paparizou, today Beaton is here to talk about something slightly grander: Europe. Follow Jonah and Roderick as they dive into this age-old topic, covering history, geography, Christendom, Russia, ancient Greece, race, Brexit, and micro-nationalism.

Show Notes:

—Roderick Beaton—Europe: A New History

—Georgios Varouxakis—The West: The History of an Idea

...

Jonah Goldberg indulges in a little Democrat-bashing after “Doctor” Jill Biden’s interview with CBS before picking fights on the right among the various criticisms of the Iran War. Then, a little divulging into Jewish identity, leviathans, and postliberalism history.

Show Notes:

—Why Postliberalism Failed | Interview: James M. Patterson and Thomas D. Howes

—Liberalism’s Sibling Rivalry | Interview: Michael R.J. Bonner

—Can Humanity Be Protected from Artificial Intelligence?

—Pigeons and Pickle Jars

—Douglas Murray on School of War podcast 

—Joseph Epstein on Dr. Jill Biden

How ⁠to...

Jonah Goldberg is infamous for muttering venomous curses against postliberalism at odd moments, such as while flossing or playing backgammon with Steve Hayes. Recognizing that to the layman this might seem rabid or antisocial, Jonah has invited two authors of a recent book on postliberalism to give some background on this puzzling phenomenon. The trio discusses postliberalism vs. anti-liberalism, integralism, Adrian Vermeule, elite capture, national conservatism, Viktor Orbán, ISI, the Heritage Foundation, subsidiarity, the wish to political violence, postliberalism's institutional future, ground-level antisemitism, right-wing Hegelianism, and Peter Thiel. 

Show Notes:

—Why Postliberalism Failed

—J...

For nearly three decades, Jonah Goldberg has rightly abused Canada for its many crimes: its adoption of the metric system, slanderous contentions about bacon, and dubious claim to Machias Seal Island, to name a few. Recent events have put Jonah in a more conciliatory mood, however, and he has resolved to bring more of our northern neighbors on the show. 

Today’s token Canadian, Michael R.J. Bonner, joins The Remnant to talk about his recent book on liberalism. Michael and Jonah run the gamut, talking about Steven Pinkerism, liberalism’s virgin birth, Cold War liberalism, the Rawls...

With the wife out of the house and the hounds egging him on, Jonah Goldberg is hyped up on 5-Hour Energy and ready to talk for four hours straight about 1930s isolationism. However, understanding that some of our dear listeners lack the constitution for such a strenuous journey, our talented sound editors have reduced Jonah’s rumination to a more digestible size. Join Jonah as he skips through America the Sandwich, Trump’s slush fund, impeachment, the control-f presidency, whataboutism, John T. Flynn, antisemitism, Charles Lindbergh, the women’s history museum, channel surfing, The Walking Dead, the broken windows theory...

For years, Jonah Goldberg’s enemies, acquaintances, and wife have accused him of being little more than a slightly advanced proboscis monkey. Today’s guest, author Jonathan Leaf, is here to prove them definitively wrong. Jonah and Jonathan explore how similar humans and apes actually are, while also touching on warlike animals, humans and the herd, chimp violence, the Jets, polygamy, language, hardwiring, Jane Goodall, and preferential homosexuality along the way. 

Show Notes:

—Jonathan Leaf - The Primate Myth: Why the Latest Science Leads Us to a New Theory of Human Nature

—James C. Scott...

Jonah Goldberg is infamous for throwing around his feminist credentials, but today he comes face-to-face with the real deal. Helen Lewis joins the show to put an end Jonah’s performative feminism and to talk about the feminization thesis, Doug Wilson, Christopher Hitchens, right-wing women, based rituals, shibboleths, feminist rhetoric, weird Oregon cheese, protests as carnival, Handmaid’s Tale cosplay, abortion, institutional drift, male/female differences, and parenthood.

Show Notes:

—⁠Helen in The Atlantic “The Men Who Want Women to Be Quiet”⁠

—⁠Atlantic piece about gambling⁠

—⁠The Wilson/Hitchens book for which Jonah wrote the fo...