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 - ...
May 20, 2026•1 hr 13 min
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 ...
May 18, 2026•1 hr 23 min
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 colum...
May 16, 2026•21 min
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 ...
May 13, 2026•1 hr 31 min
Jonah Goldberg, weary of the grind, needs some R&R. Not being much of a beach man and finding ping pong boring, he turns to the one activity which puts the pep back in his step and color in his cheeks: day drinking. Wait … checks notes … rather, Jonah turns to his other favorite recreation: talking about conservatism. Today Jonah’s partner in crime is political scientist and notorious conservatism nerd George Hawley. Join this dynamic duo as they dive into the meaning of “right” and “left,” ...
May 11, 2026•1 hr 16 min
After reading a mildly depressing script handed him by the suits in the Dispatch C-suite, Jonah Goldberg rallies to take a bludgeon to democratic economic illiteracy. Along the way, he ruminates on the Indiana primaries, RINOs, Trump as a caricature, Rubio vs. Vance, sycophant tryouts, AOC’s voice, California’s gubernatorial race, billionaires earning their money, Napoleon, liberalism’s definition, and Iran. Show Notes: — How to Access Your Members-Only Remnant Feed — Friday’s Dispod — Jonah’s b...
May 09, 2026•1 hr 29 min
It’s Brit week here on The Remnant , and after starting off with a crowd-pleaser ( Charlie Cooke ), Jonah Goldberg decided to follow up with someone new. Adrian Wooldridge, global business columnist at Bloomberg Opinion , joins Jonah to talk about the meaning of liberalism, limiting principles, immigration, tolerance, individualism, non-Western liberalism, Big Tech, kids, public broadcasting, FDR, positive liberties, John Stuart Mill, and the transatlantic A\alliance. Show Notes: — Adrian Wooldr...
May 06, 2026•1 hr 8 min
In honor of King Charles’ visit to the United States, Jonah has invited his favorite Brit (by birth) to come on The Remnant for some knockdown, drag-out sparring over the unitary executive theory and the threat posed by illiberal conservatives. Along the way, Jonah and Charlie also discuss vaccines in Florida, gerrymandering, Clarence Thomas’ recent University of Texas speech, progressivism, classical liberalism, Donald Trump’s “mean tweets,” and court packing. Show Notes: — Charlie’s last appea...
May 04, 2026•1 hr 22 min
Plus: Peruvian spiders. People go to Los Angeles for lots of reasons: fame, money, food, outstanding weather, love of the movies, hatred of themselves, etc. Jonah Goldberg, perhaps uniquely, goes to philosophize. After ruminating on his attendance at a super swanky film festival, Jonah gives a crash course on Hegel, Trump as a world-historical figure, the imperial Roman Republic, Marxism as a shibboleth, unpatriotic librarians, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Baptists and bootleggers, and Maine...
May 02, 2026•1 hr 25 min
Sometimes, even intellectual heavyweights like Jonah Goldberg can’t make out what’s going on on the other side of the aisle. Finding himself in need of an interpreter, Jonah turns to Atlantic columnist Tyler Austin Harper for a liberal-inflected look at Hasan Piker, the uses of Marxism, name-checking, human nature, the increasing appeal of the Butlerian Jihad, evolution, taboos, the failures of centrism, limits, and much, much more. Show Notes: — Last Remnant with Tyler Austin Harper — Time to S...
Apr 29, 2026•1 hr 19 min
What will the war in Iran do to global markets? Does Donald Trump have a consistent approach to the economy? Should Jonah Goldberg invest in Flex Seal? For answers to these questions and more, join Jonah as he sits down with business and finance journalist Liz Hoffman to talk about the state of the economy, AI, the Fed, inflation, Polymarket, crypto, the dollar, bonds, COVID, supply chains, and where the market goes from here. Show Notes: — Compound Interest from Semafor Business — Marketplace P...
Apr 27, 2026•1 hr 6 min
Jonah Goldberg ruminates on the Iran war and the confusion coming out of the White House, the Whole Foods bandit and why theft is bad, and Justice Clarence Thomas' speech at the University of Texas at Austin. Show notes: — The Tolentino backlash — Justice Clarence Thomas' speech at the University of Texas — Friday's Dispatch Podcast — G-File on JCPOA+ — Friday's G-File Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 25, 2026•1 hr 24 min
To the great dismay of fans of Jimmy Carter and Herbert Hoover, John Quincy Adams has been officially awarded The Remnant’s not-so-endowed chair of American public service. Joining Jonah Goldberg on the show today to make the case for Adams is Bob Crawford, historian and former bass player for The Avett Brothers. Bob and Jonah discuss Adams' brilliant career, his relationship with Andew Jackson, and his powerful rhetoric, along with the populist/elitist dynamic, the oddity of majority parties, a...
Apr 22, 2026•1 hr 21 min
Aussie- Remnant relations have always been strong, so we bring you yet another guest from the antipode continent. Retired Australian Army Maj. Gen. Mick Ryan joins Jonah Goldberg to talk about the war in Iran, Putin’s predicament in Ukraine, Russia’s long-term strategy, Trump’s mob-boss mindset, the gamification of drone warfare, civilian/military relations, American preparedness for war with China, Taiwan’s willingness to defend itself, and the future of war. Show Notes: — Mick Ryan’s Substack ...
Apr 20, 2026•1 hr 4 min
Buckle up! Jonah’s back and ready to ruminate on the Windy City, Eric Swalwell, Trump vs. Leo, Orbán and J.D., just war, Father Coughlin, Israel, the unified antisemitic front, and Ralph Nader’s sweet, sweet humus. Plus, a red-hot take on the Trump-as-Jesus pic. Show Notes: — Jonah in The Dispatch : “The American Revolution Was a Really Big Deal” — NYT : “How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran” — Ramesh Ponnuru on just war — Last Friday’s G-File — Jonah’s LA Times column — Mike Pesca: ‘What Ki...
Apr 18, 2026•1 hr 29 min
The Remnant has proudly hosted guests of many titles: 5th Viscount Ridley, Sen. Ben Sasse, and even Dispatch CEO Steve Hayes have graced our proverbial stage. Yet, as longtime listeners have likely noted, we’ve never had a judge on the show. That changes today! Join Jonah Goldberg as he sits down with Judge Roy K. Altman to talk about the credibility of the genocide, apartheid, and colonialism allegations commonly levied against the state of Israel. Show Notes: — Roy Altman: Israel on Trial: Exa...
Apr 15, 2026•1 hr 15 min
It’s here! Though scurrilous critics have long slandered Sarah Isgur as a one-trick pony and partisan hack, her friend Jonah Goldberg has stood with her through thick and thin. Now, with the publication of Sarah’s new book, Last Branch Standing , Jonah’s unflagging faithfulness has been vindicated. Join Jonah and Sarah as they discuss the great judicial issues of our day, including the anatomy riots, textualism vs. originalism, Sarah’s novel breakdown of the court, Buckley particles, big-case cr...
Apr 13, 2026•1 hr 23 min
Coming at you from the forests of Maine, Jonah kicks off the day’s ruminations with reflections on his father and his legacy, before turning to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the importance of rhetoric, Vice President J.D. Vance’s visit to Hungary, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s appeal to postliberals, groypers, victimhood culture, Iran, the ceasefire, Russia, antisemitic “realism,” and President Donald Trump’s rating as a war time leader. Plus, order Sarah Isgur’s book here . Show Not...
Apr 11, 2026•1 hr 26 min
In a blast from the past, Jonah sits down with his former job foreman and slumlord, Arthur Brooks, to discuss finding meaning in a complicated and empty world. Arthur and Jonah talk about the difficult conditions of modernity, phone discipline, living like your grandparents, identity portfolios, religion, love, friendship, starting The Dispatch , and Arthur's six steps for finding life's meaning. Show Notes: — Arthur Brooks: The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness — Char...
Apr 08, 2026•1 hr 10 min
When Theodore Roosevelt needed a work break, he invited champion martial artists to the White House to spar. When Jonah Goldberg gets tired of the grind, he calls up National Review movie critic Ross Douthat for some good ol’ fashioned intellectual judo. Jonah and Ross get stuck in on Iran, working through the political current state of play, the changing use of the term “regime,” the justifications for the war, and whether Trump betrayed MAGA. They conclude with a brief recap of their disagreem...
Apr 06, 2026•1 hr 4 min
After a week of maniacally running The Dispatch in Steve’s absence—firing employees at will, publishing screeds against pickled herring, etc.—Jonah Goldberg takes up his usual post to ruminate about Pam Bondi, Trump’s speech on the Iran war, his old grievances on Cuba and the Times , the recent Meta case, receipts on John Rawls from last week’s Ruminant , Hannah Arendt on truth in politics, Plato and the divine, and the future of the podcast. Plus, stick around for Jonah’s spicy take on birthrig...
Apr 04, 2026•1 hr 20 min
Who was Hannah Arendt? What did she believe about truth and politics? Was she wrong about the American Revolution? Today on The Remnant , Jonah Goldberg and Roger Berkowitz dive into these questions and more, discussing what intellectual category Arendt falls in, her understanding of truth, the question of human nature, Arendt’s relationship with Martin Heidegger, the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, Adolf Eichmann, the meaning of the banality of evil, Arendt’s view of the Amer...
Apr 01, 2026•1 hr 27 min
Continuing our epic series of first-time Remnant guests, Jonah Goldberg sits down with the political economists Samuel Gregg to discuss Adam Smith, the Scottish Enlightenment, the social question, shiny shoe buckles, the East India Company, mercantilism, liberalism’s origins, Burke, and the new-right’s rejection of free markets. Show Notes: — Samuel Gregg’s Law and Liberty article on Adam Smith — Jonah’s book: Suicide of the West — Jamelle Bouie’s attack on Suicide of the West — Jonah’s response...
Mar 30, 2026•1 hr 17 min
oin cornhole champion Jonah Goldberg as he asks the most important questions of our time, including: What does media bias have to do with the quadruple-amputee murderer? Did Jonah Goldberg write a 2011 book on Canadian prime ministers? Just what was so arrogant about John Rawls’ liberalism? Show Notes: — GLoP Culture Podcast — Friday’s Dispatch Podcast — Jonah’s LA Times column — Chris Caldwell: “The End of Trumpism” — Jonah’s G-File on what Trumpism looks like — Carl Trueman Remnant — Harvey Ma...
Mar 28, 2026•1 hr 22 min
Today The Remnant welcomes Harvey Mansfield, longtime Harvard professor and philosophical paragon. Though thoroughly intimidated, Jonah Goldberg plucks up his courage and dives into a brilliantly winding conversation about effectual truth, rationalism, virtues in the modern academy, Straussianism, Christianity’s inheritance from the ancients, law and the state, autonomy, American pragmatism, Marx, postliberalism, John Rawls, Locke’s labor theory of value, and the future of America. Show Notes: —...
Mar 25, 2026•1 hr 6 min
In a stunning debut performance, new friend of The Remnant Carl Trueman joins Jonah Goldberg to discuss America’s renewed interest in religion, society’s need for God, the moral questions of technology, the Butlerian Jihad, transhumanism, Nietzsche, antisemitism, sources of meaning, eugenics, and the desecration of man. Show Notes: — Trueman’s book: The Desecration of Man: How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity — Trueman on TRIGGERnometry — Charles Murray on The Remnant — Tom Holland’s b...
Mar 23, 2026•1 hr 14 min
Coming at you from Baton Rouge, Jonah Goldberg is ornery and looking to settle some scores. After covering his bases on Iran, the ethics of criticizing the war, and the metrics of success, he moves on to lazy media criticism, ethnic humor, goyslop, and James Fishback. Finally, in a Pulitzer-worthy climax, Jonah definitively dismantles the legacy of Paul Ehrlich and annihilates Steve Hayes’ obsession with the word “junto.” Show Notes: — Wednesday G-File : “An Anti-Manifesto on the Iran War” — The...
Mar 21, 2026•1 hr 19 min
Not since the Marquis de Lafayette’s triumphant 1824 tour of the United States has a return been more welcome than Yuval Levin’s to The Remnant . After greeting our patriot hero with laurels and kisses, Jonah Goldberg sets Yuval up for a philosophical tour de force, covering the president’s war powers, cultural and institutional change, education in republicanism, the effects of new technology on our Constitutional order, the Scottish Enlightenment, rationalism vs. reason, Hayek vs. Burke, and t...
Mar 18, 2026•1 hr 13 min
Few men have earned their return ticket to The Remnant with more grace and power than economist, polymath, and notorious Kuyperian David Bahnsen. David and Jonah cover the two Trump economies, the strategic significance of oil, institutional damage on the right, the fight for the term “conservative,” Christian Zionism, Megyn Kelly and the groypers, and the economics of Fred Hirsch. Show Notes: — Jonah’s book: Liberal Fascism — Russell Moore on The Remnant — Brian Mattson in The Dispatch: “Is ‘Ch...
Mar 16, 2026•1 hr 3 min
To outside observers, it may appear that Jonah Goldberg is living easy and keeping beach time. Be not deceived! Jonah is as full of intellectual vim as ever, jumping straight into energy markets and the strait of Hormuz, the risks of Trump bailing on the war in Iran, “Jewish” synagogues, the excesses of Epstein demagoguery, the stupidity of idealized class conflict, and—finally—an epic defense of Edmund Burke against his romantiphobic detractors. Show Notes: — Jonah’s visit to an oil rig — WSJ :...
Mar 14, 2026•1 hr 27 min
