Has Trump Betrayed His Base?| Interview: Ross Douthat

Has Trump Betrayed His Base?| Interview: Ross Douthat

From The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg by The Dispatch

April 6, 2026 · 1h 4m

About this episode

Jonah Goldberg and Ross Douthat discuss Trump's relationship with his base, the current political landscape regarding Iran, and the future of conservatism.

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 disagreement in writing over the future of conservatism. Show Notes:—Ken Pollack Remnant—Mark Dubowitz on Ross’ little show, Interesting Times—Chris Caldwell in The Spectator: “The end of Trumpism”—Nick Catoggio in The Dispatch: “The Obvious Scapegoat”—Douthat in the NYT: “The Iran War Is Trump’s War”—Ross’ piece on the future of conservatism—Jonah’s response to Ross on the future of 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 access to all of Jonah’s G-File newsletters—⁠click here⁠. If you’d like to remove all ads from…

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Host: Jonah Goldberg

Guest: Ross Douthat

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Organizations: National Review, The Dispatch, The Spectator, NYT, megaphone.fm

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