Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: A Snarling Pitbull Of Hate
Date: October 20, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Producer/Contributor: Katie Green
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts

Overview

This episode of Armstrong & Getty kicks off a new week with the duo reflecting on the oddities and contradictions of the current American moment, especially focusing on the “No Kings” protest movement and the nation’s continued polarization. The hosts dissect what motivates mass protests today, the shifting cultural landscape surrounding masculinity and gender, a volatile international situation (notably the Israel-Hamas ceasefire), and the perennial circus of American politics—including Trump, Biden, and media coverage. The show moves fluidly between sharp, often irreverent social commentary and headline-driven news recaps, punctuated with humor and memorable banter.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Week Pregnant with Possibilities (03:09–04:27)

• Jack opens on an existential note, joking about how a week can bring life-changing events—good or bad.
  • “Could be the week of your life you remember forever... or you get marched to your car with a cardboard box.” (03:31–03:43)
  • Joe quips the more likely fate: "another boatload of meth." (03:43)

2. The “No Kings” Protests: America Gets Weird (04:08–12:04)

• Hosts discuss the nationwide “No Kings” protests, which seem to target authoritarianism (and specifically Trump), but lack clear messaging.
  • Jack shares an anecdote about driving a Tesla Cybertruck through a protest and being jeered by liberals for driving a Musk-affiliated EV (04:08–04:27).
  • Notable: Both sides at the protest had “Epstein” signs, emphasizing the confusion and conspiratorial undertones (05:35–05:43).
• Armstrong and Getty probe the ambiguity of the protest’s purpose and the motivations behind it:
  • Joe: "Nobody can quite tell you what it is, what it's against, other than Kings, clearly…of a generalized I don’t like Donald Trump demonstration, right?" (06:42)
  • They lampoon the sense of protest as mere social gathering or “political masturbation.”
    • Joe: "It’s just a giant ego fest. It's political masturbation. Sorry." (08:41)
  • The futility of protests is dissected—contrasting modern spectacles with the civil rights era. Protests nowadays are framed more as tribal, feel-good moments, not as engines of real change. (09:01–09:42)
    • Joe: “Tell me by Tuesday noon what the hell it accomplished, what minds it changed, what legislation it spawned.” (09:31)

3. The National Pastime: Following Trump (06:36–12:12)

• Jack and Joe note: endlessly tracking Trump has replaced baseball as America’s true pastime; the polarization is more severe than ever.
  • Jack: “The national pastime is not baseball. It’s following Trump whether you like or hate him, right?” (06:36)
  • They joke about the crowd dynamic of protests and modern political engagement.
    • Jack: “Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd.” (12:40)

4. Pop Culture & Sports Sidebar: Shohei Ohtani’s Historic Game (10:23–11:51)

• Brief aside: Jack, proud of his Dodgers hat, celebrates Ohtani’s pitching/hitting feat, possibly the greatest single-game performance ever.
  • "He batted three times. He hit three home runs. He pitched six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts... Many people are calling [it] the greatest performance by any single player in the history of a game that has been going for 150 years." (10:54)
  • Banter ensues on his physical presence and poise.

5. Protest, Authoritarianism, and Double Standards (12:12–13:37)

• Satirical bit: Jack and Joe make fun of groupthink against Trump.
  • Joe: "Hang on a second. Looking around, just making sure. Yeah, no freaking kings in here because I’m against that." (12:12)
  • They call out both left and right for “king moves”—ignoring the Supreme Court, or stretching executive authority.
  • Jack: “Remember when Joe Biden [tried to] do away with those college loans…but I did it anyway? And the crowd would cheer...Do you remember the last couple of days of his administration where he tweeted out that the Equal Rights Amendment was now part of the Constitution? …That was a king move of any kind.” (12:54–13:32)

6. The Feminization of Men and Cultural Balance (13:54–14:51)

• Preview of an upcoming discussion (to be continued in future segments): Jack teases an article critiquing changes in masculinity, blaming both men’s and women’s choices for dating woes. Joe references societal “feminization” and the need for balance, promising a deeper dive.

7. News Roundup with Katie Green (18:10–23:07)

• Internet Outage: AWS down, causes wide site disruptions (19:15).
• Trump “No Kings” Protest Response: Trump posts cartoonish video dropping “poo” on protesters—a satirical escalation (20:04–20:16).
• FBI Investigates Trump Jet Threat: Suspicious hunting stand near Air Force One; serious safety concern (20:18–20:48).
• Israel-Hamas Update: Ceasefire fragile; both sides accuse each other of violations, but even mainstream media is blaming Hamas more (21:04–21:42).
• Rare Earths and Pickleball Injuries: Lead-ins for later segments.
• Quick, sarcastic headlines—including a Babylon Bee joke: “John Bolton’s mustache agrees to testify against him in exchange for immunity.” (22:27)

8. Israel-Hamas Ceasefire: Reality Check (26:56–33:41)

• The hosts explore the latest from the Middle East:
  • Question if the ceasefire will hold; both Jack and Joe doubt it.
    • Joe: “The idea that there's some enduring peace right now is practically fantasy.” (28:45)
  • Washington Post: "The Gaza ceasefire is cracking. Hamas is to blame. Terrorist brutality risks igniting a Palestinian civil war." (29:26)
• Discussion of 60 Minutes interview with Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz (Witkoff), architects of the ceasefire. The hosts praise the segment for showing these often-caricatured figures as serious, competent negotiators.
  • Highlight on "stupid word games" in Mideast peace deals.
    • Kushner: "We had to write all these complex words to deal with 50 years of stupid word games that everyone in that region is so used to playing." (31:56)
  • Jack: “They came off as really, really serious. Very smart people who worked on this deal and were able to pull it off. Good for 60 Minutes for doing that story.” (33:13–33:37)

9. Sports & American Priorities (33:41–35:25)

• More on MLB playoffs, sports payrolls, and the economics of victory.
  • Jack on the Dodgers: “What am I supposed to do? I manage the team. They got me all the best players. Cool.” (34:55)

10. Breaking News: Guns & Marijuana at the Supreme Court (35:26–36:31)

• Supreme Court to consider if regular marijuana users can legally own guns; Jack and Joe riff on the logic.
  • Jack: “The answer is clearly yes, now that marijuana is legal practically everywhere, isn’t it? Because you can drink beer and own a gun…” (35:44)
  • "I wonder how they define ‘regularly’? That's a good question right there. The Supreme Court's gonna have to—Clarence Thomas will have to speak up. Define ‘regularly.’" (36:01)

11. Mailbag: Widespread Frustrations (40:25–48:47)

• Listener topics include:
  • Critiques of trans ideology and body autonomy.
  • Pushback against progressive overreach (wheelchair accessibility lawsuits; ADA code).
  • Email complaints about media saturation with LGBTQ themes.
  • The “race to the bottom” in partisan lawfare.
  • The futility of recent protests (“No Kings”) without real impact; the determinative power of special interests in elections.
• Quote of the Day: María Corina Machado (Venezuelan freedom activist):
  • "Do not be seduced. Socialism is the sexiest path to losing your freedom. Guard your freedom jealously. Defend it fiercely. Because freedom is not just an American promise, it is the hope of the world." (41:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Modern Protests:
  • “It’s just a giant orgy of approving of each other...It’s political masturbation. Sorry.” — Joe Getty (08:41)
• On Trump as National Pastime:
  • “The national pastime is not baseball. It’s following Trump whether you like or hate him, right?” — Jack Armstrong (06:36)
• On Cultural Confusion:
  • “I was charging...and there was this guy, young black guy in a cyber truck...when I first got it, people kept flipping me off and I couldn’t figure out why...I found out it’s because some people hate the Elon Musk.” — Jack Armstrong (04:54)
• On Protest as Social Gathering:
  • “Why would people get together, wear the same color jersey, and yell and scream and high five each other...Because it feels good to be part of a tribe.” — Joe Getty (10:06)
• On Both Sides’ ‘King Moves’:
  • “That was a king move of any kind. All right, whatever. Knock yourselves out. Enjoy yourselves.” — Jack Armstrong (13:32)
• On Media Portrayal of Kushner & Ceasefire Architects:
  • “They came off as really, really serious. Very smart people who worked on this deal and were able to pull it off. Good for 60 Minutes for doing that story.” — Jack Armstrong (33:13)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:09 – Show opening, setting the week's possibilities—good or bad.
• 04:08 – No Kings protest: driving through, symbolism, and societal weirdness.
• 05:35 – Epstein signs and confusion at protests.
• 06:36 – Polarization, Trump obsession, and “politics as religion.”
• 08:41 – Social motivation of protests; “political masturbation.”
• 09:42 – Sports-as-tribalism and protest motivations.
• 10:54 – Shohei Ohtani's historic game.
• 12:12 – Groupthink satire; both sides’ “king” behaviors.
• 13:54 – Teasing upcoming segment on men, masculinity, and societal balance.
• 18:10 – News headlines with Katie Green.
• 20:04 – Trump’s video responding to “No Kings” protests.
• 21:04 – Israel-Hamas update.
• 26:56 – Ceasefire: will it hold? News wrap and analysis.
• 31:56 – Kushner & ceasefire negotiations: “stupid word games.”
• 35:26 – Supreme Court: pot smokers and gun rights.
• 41:30 – Quote of the day: María Corina Machado on freedom and socialism.
• 43:56 – Listener mail: critiques, anecdotes, and social frustrations.
• 47:50 – “Race to the bottom” discussion in lawfare and politics.

Closing Thoughts

This episode blends Armstrong & Getty’s signature irreverent wit and cultural critique, focusing on a country that feels increasingly tribal, confused, and riven by spectacle over substance. Listeners are left with the sense that America’s protests, politics, and even sports are now stages for the kind of affirmation and division that once belonged to fringe movements.

For fans of pointed cultural observation, political skepticism, and dynamic back-and-forth, “A Snarling Pitbull of Hate” is vintage Armstrong & Getty.