The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg
In “The Remnant," Jonah Goldberg enlists a “Cannonball Run”-style cast of stars, has-beens, and never-weres to address the most pressing issues of the day. Is America doomed? Has liberalism failed? And will mankind ever invent something better than ‘90s-era “Simpsons?” Mixing political history, pop culture, rank punditry, and shameless book-plugging, Goldberg and guests will have the kinds of conversations we wish they featured on TV. And the nudity will (almost) always be tasteful. Brace your bingo cards.
Happy Independence Day, Comrade
It’s America’s 249th birthday, and Jonah Goldberg has something to say about Trump’s not-so-beautiful bill, his AI fatigue, the communist cosplay run amok on the left, and the rockstar lineup of The Dispatch contributors. Plus: some good, old-fashioned, Kristol-style patriotism and heady lamentations on revolutions.
Show Notes:
—The Wednesday G-File (not written by AI)
—Jeremiah Johnson on The Remnant
—The Dispatch's contributing writer roster
—Irving Kristol: “The American Revolution as a Successful Revolution”
The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company cov...
Millionaires For Socialism
Jeremiah Johnson—a Dispatch contributor, first-timeguest, and cofounder of the Center for New Liberalism—stops by Chez Remnant to discuss the futility of litigating political taxonomy, the theater kid campaign approach, the connection between innovation and populism, and Jonah Goldberg’s lower-case liberal propensities.
Show Notes:
—Jeremiah’s Substack: Infinite Scrolls
—Jeremiah’s writing for The Dispatch
—Learn more about the Center for New Liberalism
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—i...
Conservatism, if You Can Keep It
In yet another counter-programming episode of The Remnant, Matthew Continetti, director of domestic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss the life and legacy of William F. Buckley Jr. and the past, present, and future of American conservatism.
Show Notes:
—Sam Tanenhaus' Buckley Biography
—William F. Buckley Jr. at 100: The State of American Conservatism
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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter...
Zohran Zealots
Jonah Goldberg is Rocky Mountain High and ready to lambaste the electric vehicle industry, the burden of networking, lessons from military interventions past, and Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral primary victory in New York City.
Show Notes:
—Last Wednesday’s G-File
—Nate Cohn for the New York Times: “If Everyone Had Voted, Harris Still Would Have Lost”
—America at 250 Project: The American Enterprise Institute
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...
The Goldberg Doctrine
Once upon a time, Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, set off to make a name for himself in American political commentary … only to discover that some other guy had the same idea. At long last, Jeffrey and Jonah Goldberg convene at the Agincourt of podcasting to discuss the tenuous ceasefire between Iran and Israel, the mystical Obama Doctrine, and that SignalGate debacle.
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 Jonah’s G-File newsle...
What Comes Around Goes Around
Eli Lake, host of Breaking History and columnist at The Free Press, joins Jonah Goldberg to ruminate upon the the United States’ recent strikes on Iran’s nuclear program and the wider implications. Were they constitutional? Is regime change next?Plus: Jonah and Eli’s thoughts on Bill Buckley and American conservatism.Show Notes:
—Eli Lake's Breaking History podcast
—Jeane Kirkpatrick on dictatorshipThe 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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regularly livestream...
The New Right’s Red Line
Jonah Goldberg has spent the week knee-deep in eggheadery of the highest order and must alleviate himself from the resonant voices in his head. Therefore, today’s Ruminant presents listeners with an hour of punditry on Israel and its existential value, the painful Ted Cruz-Tucker Carlson interview, the sorry tale of the Golden Goose, and liberal theory run amok.
Show Notes:
—The G-File: Why We Care About Israel
—The G-File: The Inevitable Splintering To Come
—Dr. Jeffrey Collins on The Remnant
The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering...
Classically Understood
Dr. Jeffrey Collins, first-time guest and professor at the Hamilton Center at the University of Florida, joins Jonah Goldberg to explore the intellectual history of liberalism and its modern iterations.
Show Notes:
—Jeffrey Collins' bio
—Daniel Burns' National Affairs Piece: "Liberal Practice v. Liberal Theory"
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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regular livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.
Learn more about your...
Locating the Centrifuge
Ken Pollack, vice president of the Middle East Institute and a former CIA analyst, joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss all things Israel-Iran, including Iran’s nuclear program, Mossad’s success, possible U.S. involvement, and potential outcomes. Plus: their thoughts on Trump’s foreign policy and the need for American-led global stability.
Show Notes:
—Ken’s Monday Essay for The Dispatch: “One Year of Military Lessons”
—TMD on latest Israel-Iran developments
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 D...
No Discipline, All Punish
Jonah Goldberg is tanned, rested, and ready to discuss Israel’s recent attack on Iran, the splintering MAGA coalition, Soviet revisionism, and the endless streams of hypocrisy stemming from the Los Angeles riots.
Show Notes:
—Tulsi Gabbard on nuclear disarmament
—Yair Rosenberg on The RemnantThe 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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regular livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...
Get Your Shtetl Together!
Atlantic columnist Yair Rosenberg joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss the shocking rise of Jew hatred in America, the connection between populist movements and antisemitic sentiments, and Edward Said’s influence—all while poking fun at the podcast bros and reminding the elite institutions about the importance of standing with Israel.
Show Notes:
—Yair’s column for The Atlantic: “Deep Shtetl”
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—inclu...
Punching Hippies
Michael Moynihan, friend of the podcast and host of “The Moynihan Report,” joins Jonah Goldberg for an impromptu episode to discuss the Los Angeles riots and their ramifications for both the Trump administration and the Democratic Party, their thoughts on Sister Souljah moments, Greta Thunberg’s maiden voyage, and the shameful lack of hippie punching.Show Notes:
—The Morning Dispatch: Unrest in Los Angeles Continues
—Jonah's LA Times column: Trump Deploys, Protesters Respond. This Will Not End Well.
—The G-File: In Praise of Hippie Punching
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad
All My Exes Drive In Teslas
A busy week of media appearances has somehow left Jonah Goldberg eager to continue his musings on the Trump-Musk rift, the looming threat of the deficit, modern applications of German nihilism, and the need for gratitude. Plus: the surfacing of medieval poverty cosplay and cutting-edge analysis of Top Chef.
Show Notes:
—This Week's Dispatch Podcast: "The New Antisemitism"
—Wednesday G-File on German Nihilism
—Jonah's Los Angeles Times Column: "Baby boom, baby bust and the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’"
—Jonah's NPR Morning Edition Feature
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc
Roman Honor vs. American Realism
Bret Devereaux, a Remnant fan favorite, returns to Jonah Goldberg’s Flavian Amphitheater to discuss the world’s oldest counterfactual, the holy grail of source material for classicists, and the top three generals of Western antiquity. Plus: coverage of Ukraine’s recent drone strikes and the contemporary applications of ancient military history.
Show Notes:
—Explore “A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry”
—Alexander Goes West (A Silly Counterfactual)
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 offeri...
Straussian Summer School
Jonah Goldberg has realized that, if you name drop Leo Strauss enough, you’re eventually going to have to explain who you’re talking about. As the benevolent educator of The Remnant masses, Jonah has conspired with Steven Smith, a Straussian expert and professor of political science and philosophy at Yale University, to deliver this deep dive on the life and work of Leo Strauss.
Jonah and Steven dig into the fundamentals of Strauss’ work, the debate between the East Coast and West Coast Straussians, the value and potential in fusionism, and Harry Jaffa’s various quirks. Plus: the...
DOGE-ing Bullets
Jonah Goldberg is cranky, hungover, and ready to dive into discussion of Elon Musk and his departure from DOGE, the moral degradation of traditional conservatism, the cult of winning on the right, and the vilification of the judiciary.Show Notes
—The Wednesday G-File on the cowboys of suburbia
—“Don’t Call This Conservatism”
—Peter Berkowitz on “Don’t Call This Conservatism”
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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regular livest...
Weekend At Biden’s
Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson join Jonah Goldberg to discuss their new book that has taken Washington by storm, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. Tapper and Thompson discuss what top Democrats knew about Biden’s cognitive decline prior to him launching his reelection campaign, the boiling frogs mentality of Biden’s advisers, and the media’s role in reporting—or not reporting—this story in real time.
Show Notes
—Order Original Sin here
The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering po...
Missing the Marx
Phil Magness, occupant of the David Theroux Chair at the Independent Institute, drops by Casa de Remnant to discuss the corrupting effect of tariffs, why Karl Marx is overrated, the evolving definitions of intellectual movements, and Jonah Goldberg’s gripes about romanticism.
Show Notes:
—The 1619 Project Myth
—Phil for the Cato Institute: ”The Problem of the Tariff in American Economic History, 1787–1934”
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...
The Strange Death of Standards
Jonah Goldberg, once again vindicated for his both-sidesism, ruminates upon the big beautiful bill, the American tradition of disputing facts by attacking motives, and the endemic media hypocrisy from every angle.Plus: kudos to the Supreme Court and kayfabe in the Oval Office.
Show Notes:
—John McWhorter on The Remnant
—This week’s Dispatch Podcast Roundtable: “Biden’s Big Beautiful Cover Up”
—Jonah’s LA Times column: “History alone should have made more reporters skeptical about Biden’s health”
—Advisory Opinions: “You’re Wrong About Originalism”
The Remnant is a production of ...
Law and Marriage
Jonah Goldberg has found himself in some serious legal trouble, forcing him to invite Sarah Isgur to Chez Remnant to talk horrible bosses, the 14th Amendment, Kristi Noem’s loose grasp of habeas corpus, and the increasing ennui associated with American politics.
Plus: Sarah and Jonah’s sage advice for the class of 2025 and the Isgur-Goldberg love line segment.
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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regular livestreams, an...
Red Hot Soviet Nationalism
Jonah Goldberg is joined by Dr. Leon Aron for some Remnant-style Kremlinology. Jonah and Dr. Aron discuss Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s relationship, the state of the war in Ukraine, and what will happen to Russia without Putin at the helm. Plus: a long march through Russian history and the precarious position of top Russian military brass.
Show Notes:
—Dr. Leon Aron’s American Enterprise Institute page
—Leon in Politico: “7 Critical Things Trump Doesn’t Understand about Putin”
The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media c...
The Mainstream of Yore
Jonah Goldberg is up with the sun and ready to expand upon his Monday mega-essay in The Dispatch, lament all things popular front, analyze James Comey’s seashell art photography, and discuss the upcoming exposé on Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. Plus: the misnomer of mainstream media and a scolding for Congress.
Show Notes:
—Jonah’s Monday Essay: “Don’t Call This Conservatism”
—Claire Lehmann for The Dispatch: “Feelings, Facts, and Our Crisis of Truth”
—Jonah’s Los Angeles Times column: “The inescapable answer to America’s problems? Fix Congress”
—Dispatch Debates: Christine Rosen and R...
Crackpot Realism
Jonah Goldberg is joined by author and journalist Phil Tinline to discuss his new book, Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax of the Century, Its Enduring Impact, and What It Reveals About America Today. Phil tells the tale of conspiracies gone by, arguing that hoaxes, crackpottery, and moral panics are as American as apple pie.
Show Notes:
—Order Phil’s book, Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax of the Century, Its Enduring Impact, and What It Reveals About America Today.
The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy...
Reagan Rolls Over
Former Sen. Phil Gramm joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss his new book, The Triumph of Economic Freedom: Debunking the Seven Great Myths of American Capitalism. Phil and Jonah reminisce on the triumphs of the Industrial Revolution, better days in Congress, and Ronald Reagan’s disdain for protectionism.
Show Notes:
—Order Sen. Gramm’s book, The Triumph of Economic Freedom: Debunking the Seven Great Myths of American Capitalism
The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspectiv...
Islands of Separateness
Jonah Goldberg ruminates upon the papal news, the dingo’s fly assassination skills, Columbia University’s new president, yet another unpronounceable German political philosophy theory, Joe Biden’s definition of misogyny, and Trump’s new threat to the film industry.
Show Notes:
—This week’s Dispatch Podcast roundtable: "Vengeance Agenda”
—Commentary Magazine Podcast: "Lights! Camera! Tariffs!”
—Kevin Williamson for The Dispatch: “Trump Is a Socialist”
—Claire Lehmann for The Dispatch: “Feelings, Facts, and Our Crisis of Truth”
The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering po...
Incelphobia
AEI senior fellow Christine Emba joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss degenerating dating dynamics, the gender divide and its effect on politics, and the roots of the late-stage culture war.
Show Notes:
—Christine’s AEI page
—Order Rethinking Sex: A Provocation
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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regular livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.
The Allegory of the Trade
Two maudlin and romantic dolls (Jonah Goldberg and Chris Stirewalt) come together to discuss the revival of Alcatraz, the future of the MAGA movement without Trump, and the skewed self-perception of American voters.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
That's Leftism, Folks
Jonah Goldberg explains how Donald Trump's economic agenda is fundamentally a left-wing one and the Rousseauian roots of his nationalism.
Show Notes:
—Friday's G-File
—Trump's interview with Time
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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regular livestreams, and other members-only content—click here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Intellectual Crisis Hotline
Manic and frazzled, Jonah Goldberg turned for help from in-house Remnant psychologist Paul Bloom. They explore intellectual esoterica, check what Noam Chomsky got wrong, explore Large Language Models, and fret over the age of artificial consciousness and AI girlfriends.
Show Notes:
—Paul’s Substack
—Paul on Substack "Is it nature or is it nurture?" is a damn good question”
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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regul...
Flood the Zone With German
Is Donald Trump Hitler? A Chavista? Or a caudillo? Jonah Goldberg is joined by fellow podcast extraordinaire Michael Moynihan to answer this obviously important and salient question. (Plus: The lost potential of Elon Musk and more on the right’s Gramsci turn.)
Show Notes:
—Batya Ungar-Sargon on The Fifth Column
—The Ruminant on Antonio Gramsci
—Moynihan’s previous appearance on The Remnant
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For Spite
A dramatic week of big acquisitions left Jonah tired, but ranty. Brace for some I Told You So’s, “abundance” horseshoe theory, Trumpworld triangulations, and blue-on-blue violence.
Show Notes:
—The SCOTUSblog acquisition
—Wednesday’s uncontroversial G-File
—Kevin Williamson’s critique of the "abundance" Democrats
—Jamie Weinstein and Larry Diamond on The 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 Jonah’s G-File newsletter, regular livestreams, and other members-only conten...
Dead Dollar Walking
David Bahnsen, a fan favorite and friend of the pod, stops by the show to discuss his new book, Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life with Jonah Goldberg. Jonah and David cover the China question, U.S. reliability, and Kevin Hassett’s antics.
Show Notes:
—David’s book, Full Time: Work and the Meaning of Life
—The Wall Street Journal: “Meet MAGA’s Favorite Communist”
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’...
Gaslighting and Resentment in Biden’s White House
Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes make their Remnant debut to discuss their buzzy new book, Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House. Jonah Goldberg and the authors dig into the nitty-gritty of all three 2024 presidential bids, that debate, Kamala Harris’ ascension and missteps, and the story of Joe Biden’s decline.
Show Notes:
—Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House
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...
Conditional Logic for Dummies
Jonah Goldberg spends ninety minutes plotting his transition to telethon moderation, lambasting the youth, and reminding the new GOP that you can’t pick and choose who gets universal rights. Plus: further ruminations on the bond market and the anniversary of the shot heard ‘round the world.
Show Notes:
— The Fair Jessica for The Dispatch: ”Revenge of the Title IX Dads”
—Advisory Opinions on Humphrey’s Executor
—The Wall Street Journal: “Meet MAGA’s Favorite Communist”
—G-File: “The Shot Heard Round—and Round and Round—the World”
—Irving Kristol: “Th...
The Gramsci Turn: Responding to Chris Rufo
Jonah Goldberg responds to Christopher Rufo and his fight to "to recapture the regime and entrench our ideas in the public sphere," using 20th-century Marxist Antonio Gramsci's ideas. This is a bonus Ruminant –– expect your regular Saturday Goldberg variation to arrive at the normal time.
Show Notes:
—Meet MAGA’s Favorite Communist
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Uniting the Sane
Jonah Goldberg is rolling like a stone through Ivy League speaking events and is holed up in New Haven to conduct an AMA with the one and only Chris Stirewalt. Topics range from marmot taxonomy, Tom Selleck’s career ethics, Maserati salesman attire, and of course, rank punditry galore.
Show Notes:
—Continue your education on The Gay Place
—Jonah for the Los Angeles Times: “Gov. Whitmer’s party should learn from what she did in the Oval Office”
—Ross Douthat for the New York Times: “It’s Trump’s Revolution”
The Remnant is a produ...
Unsettled Colonialism
Jonah Goldberg is joined by Adam Kirsch to discuss Kirsch’s new book, On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice. What does settler colonialism actually mean in the Israeli context? Where did the school of thought originate? And how can Israel move forward under the framework of settler colonialist ideology?
Show Notes:
—Order Adam’s new book, On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice
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 al...
A Hell of Our Own Creation
For your Saturday listening pleasure, Jonah Goldberg ruminates upon the latest Dispatch editorial, the sibylian nature of Suicide of the West, the problems with planned economies, and the back-of-house responsibilities of the federal government.
Plus: dunce caps for the “deep state” and the font choices of the first Alien movie.
Show Notes:
—The latest Dispatch editorial: “Slouching Towards Tyranny”
—Yuval Levin: The Great Debate
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 offe...
Pronouns In Bio
Jonah Goldberg knows many a public intellectual, but linguist extraordinaire John McWhorter is one of his favorites. John returns to the show to discuss his new book, Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words. Topics include: grammars of the elite, the imposition of language rules, the they-shaped elephant in the room, and the mystery behind the disappearance of “thou.”
Show Notes:
—Order John’s book, Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words, here
—The Finnish Path to Relaxation (Drinking at Home, Alone, in Your Underwear)
The Remnant is...
Tariff Terrorism
Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute and a general tariff expert, took some time out of his very busy schedule to talk to Jonah Goldberg about Trump’s trade-deficit delusions,why reciprocal tariffs will harm the United States, and the likelihood of increased inflation as trade tensions rise.
Show Notes:
—Scott’s Capitolism newsletter for The Dispatch
—Scott’s column on trade deficits
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...