Episodes

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...

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...

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 rem...

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...

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...

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...

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—includ...

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 ...

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 Jack...

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...

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 radical...

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 Minute...

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: ...

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 Ni...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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, ta...

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. ...

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 - T...

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 ...

Coming at you from his new digs in the AEI annex (which is where they hide the bodies), Jonah Goldberg is Twitter-brained and ready to ruminate. After kicking off with some recent SCOTUS decisions and whacky historical facts, Jonah jumps into the Nick Kristof New York Times story, moral equivalence arguments, Iran, Trumpometry, impeachment, presidential misconduct, corruption, Venezuela as the 51st state, and The Great Canadian Annexation. Show Notes: —NPR interview —This week’s LA Times column...

After beating Noah Rothman senseless with a stick for months in abstentia, Jonah Goldberg has finally agreed to a fair, gentlemanly cage fight here at Remnant MMA. After talking about Noah’s new book on left-wing violence (which also discusses right-wing violence), Jonah and Noah work through their disagreements on the war in Iran. Show Notes: —Noah’s book: Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence in America —Noah’s previous book: The Rise of the New Puritans: Fighting Back Against P...