Radical Chic | Interview: Noah Rothman

In this episode of The Remnant Podcast, Jonah Goldberg interviews Noah Rothman, senior writer at National Review and author of the forthcoming book *Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence in America*. Rothman argues that left-wing political violence in the U.S. has been systematically downplayed, ignored, or actively suppressed by cultural and academic institutions, despite a long and documented history of revolutionary, anarchist, and terrorist activity from the early 20th century to today. He traces this pattern through the 1910s, 1970s, and 2020s, highlighting events like the 2020 racial justice protests, the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and attacks on ICE and CBP facilities. Rothman contends that the dominant narrative falsely frames right-wing extremism as the primary source of domestic violence, while dismissing or excusing left-wing violence as 'revolutionary' or 'protest-driven.' He critiques the lack of rigorous academic study on left-wing extremism, citing internal DHS documents that reveal researchers face intimidation for their work. The conversation also turns to the Iran war, where Rothman defends Trump’s persistence in the conflict despite erratic rhetoric, arguing that the administration’s strategic goals—degrading Iran’s military and enabling regime change—are sound, even if poorly communicated. Goldberg pushes back on the idea that Trump’s statements are irrelevant, warning that inconsistent messaging undermines U.S. credibility and alliance cohesion. The episode closes with a discussion of the podcast’s new paywall model, which has been met with overwhelming support from listeners. Key takeaways include: 1) Left-wing violence in America has been historically under-studied and systematically minimized in public discourse; 2) The cultural and institutional bias toward excusing left-wing violence creates a dangerous cognitive dissonance that prevents effective policy responses; 3) The Iran war, while poorly communicated, reflects a coherent long-term strategy of weakening Iran’s military and enabling internal collapse; 4) Political violence is reciprocal—right-wing and left-wing extremism feed off each other, creating a cycle of radicalization; 5) The success of The Remnant’s paywall model shows that audiences value high-quality, independent journalism and are willing to support it. The overall tone is urgent, intellectually rigorous, and cautiously optimistic about the possibility of reforming public discourse on violence and foreign policy.