The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg

Latest Episodes:

Iran’s Jacobin Revolution | Interview: Eli Lake Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Learning to Govern Ourselves | Interview: Ben and Jenna Storey Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

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.

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The Party of Face-Eating Leopards | Ruminant Jan 31, 2026

Show notes

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”

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The States and Federal Government are Coequal | Interview: Matt Franck Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

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

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Tucker Stopped Believing in Lines | Interview: Jason Zengerle Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

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

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‘Push Back the Keyboard and Go for a Walk’ | Ruminant Jan 24, 2026

Show notes

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

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Bernie Goetz and Bygone New York | Interview: Elliot Williams Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

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

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Rogue America | Interview: Ken Pollack Jan 19, 2026

Show notes

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 plays
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

Don’t Be an Anti-Anti-Nazi | Ruminant Jan 17, 2026

Show notes

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

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Ethics Rooted in Physics | Interview: Rebecca Newberger-Goldstein Jan 14, 2026

Show notes

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”

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