The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg
The Dispatch
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
30 snips
Nov 4, 2026 • 1h 13min
You Are Insufficiently Grateful for Modernity | Interview: Chelsea Follett
Chelsea Follett, a Cato Institute research fellow and author of The Grim Old Days, joins a spirited conversation about why the preindustrial past was far grimmer than nostalgia suggests. They explore industrialization, sanitation, medicine, life expectancy, animal welfare, the “noble savage” myth, witchcraft, consumer abundance, and why modernity deserves more gratitude.
32 snips
Nov 2, 2026 • 1h 18min
Build More Houses, Have More Kids | Interview: Tim Carney
Tim Carney, a Washington Examiner columnist and American Enterprise Institute fellow, joins a lively conversation on Trump’s electoral drag, conservative tribalism, and what family policy should look like. They explore falling fertility, housing shortages, pro-natal politics, universal daycare, child tax credits, and whether both parties can become more family-friendly. Plus, a spirited Cheesecake Factory culture-war detour.
9 snips
Oct 31, 2026 • 18min
Of Friends and Enemies | Ruminant
With election week looming, Jonah Goldberg explores Israel’s turbulent elections, constitutional dysfunction, and the political power of ultra-Orthodox coalitions. He also ranges across Carl Schmitt, friendship and disagreement in politics, the perils of metaphors, comedy, charisma, Rationalia, J.D. Vance, and the Republican Party’s uncertain future.
29 snips
Oct 28, 2026 • 1h 8min
What’s Wrong with France? | Interview: Thomas Chatterton Williams
Thomas Chatterton Williams, an Atlantic staff writer and cultural critic, joins a wide-ranging conversation about France’s unrest. They explore failing schools, destructive protests, bloated welfare spending, pensions, anti-capitalist envy, and the symbolism of Palestine. The discussion turns to Macron’s failed center, Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, migration, radical Islam, immigrant entrepreneurship, and the uncertain future of the Fifth Republic.
Oct 26, 2026 • 1h 7min
A Leader Doth Not a Statesman Make | Interview: Steven B. Smith
Steven B. Smith, Yale political philosopher and author of On Statesmanship, joins a spirited conversation about what separates statesmanship from ordinary leadership. They explore political leaders as national educators, Lincoln, Churchill, de Gaulle, Wilson, stateless statesmen, noble ambition, crisis addiction, illiberalism, demagoguery, and the role of elites and institutions in democracy.
12 snips
Oct 24, 2026 • 20min
Innuendoctober | Ruminant
Jonah Goldberg reflects on podcasting’s influence, niche audiences, and the tension between honest analysis and partisan pandering. With the midterms approaching, he considers which candidates he hopes will lose, whether Democratic control could restore political normalcy, and how Republican setbacks might rebuke Trump-aligned politics. He also explores culture-war controversies, religious hypocrisy, and the strange world of gay MAGA.
41 snips
Oct 21, 2026 • 58min
Economics 101, Live From Tulsa! | Interview: Douglas Holtz-Eakin
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, an economist, former CBO director, and American Action Forum president, joins a lively Tulsa conversation on GDP, inflation, tariffs, and government ownership. They explore Hayek’s knowledge problem, Social Security reform, K-12 education, one-party rule, political compromise, business leaders’ silence on markets, and the connections between Adam Smith’s moral philosophy and economic life.
24 snips
Oct 19, 2026 • 1h 7min
A Modest Defense of Lulu Lenin | Interview: Tyler Austin Harper
Tyler Austin Harper, an Atlantic contributing writer and cultural critic, joins Jonah Goldberg for a lively debate on affluent socialism, student debt, and the broken promise of higher education. They explore working-class politics, right-wing economic populism, New Deal liberalism, and whether today’s socialist energy offers new ideas or simply repackages frustration. They also discuss capitalism’s contradictions, civil society, and the ballooning cost of professionalized life.
6 snips
Oct 17, 2026 • 11min
Our Populist Hissy Fit Needs to Stop | Ruminant
A travel nightmare at O’Hare sets the stage for a wide-ranging discussion of college rivalries, Tulsa’s ambitions, and rankings driven by career outcomes. The conversation then turns to Ukraine, Ilhan Omar, populism, national conservatism, media silos, and the challenge of governing like a grown-up.
45 snips
Oct 14, 2026 • 1h 9min
What’s Wrong With Kids These Days? | Interview: Daniel A. Cox
Daniel A. Cox, director of AEI’s Survey Center on American Life, brings data to the debate over young people and connection. They explore why dating and marriage are declining, how achievement-focused parenting shapes adulthood, and what phones, porn, and online culture are doing to intimacy. The conversation also examines inceldom, class divides, chivalry, and rebuilding real-world communities.
