Boy Was That A Suck Fest

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode Title: Boy Was That A Suck Fest
Release Date: March 3, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Boy Was That A Suck Fest," hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a tumultuous week marked by significant developments in international politics, particularly focusing on a high-stakes meeting involving former President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The conversation intertwines their personal anecdotes, sharp political analysis, and commentary on cultural events, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the current state of affairs.

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White House Meeting and Foreign Policy Shifts

The Turbulent Oval Office Encounter

The episode centers around a dramatic and contentious meeting between Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and Volodymyr Zelensky. Armstrong and Getty describe the interaction as a "blow up in the Oval Office," highlighting the strained dynamics and the ensuing fallout.

• Jack Armstrong reflects on his personal sentiments:
  "[03:39] Joe Getty: Lit room deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Communications compound To kick off a brand new week. And today we're under the tutelage of."
  (Contextually referring to the tense atmosphere of the meeting)

• Joe Getty expresses frustration with the evolving political landscape:
  "[05:10] Jack Armstrong: Right, and the more I learn about what went into it and the context, the more interesting it becomes. Interrupts some of the simplistic shouting at each other narratives."

Impact on U.S. and Global Politics

The hosts discuss the implications of Trump's approach to foreign policy, suggesting a paradigm shift towards a tripolar world order involving the U.S., China, and Russia. They critique the effectiveness and diplomatic finesse of the current administration's strategies.

• Joe Getty questions the transparency and long-term effects:
  "[07:12] Jack Armstrong: Right, right. It's not the sort of thing you spring on the world as a surprise."

• Jack Armstrong highlights concerns about Europe's waning influence:
  "[20:15] J: From the New York Times, Trump turns up trade pressure on China in response to inaction on fentanyl."
  (Further elaborated on the diminishing role of European allies)

Analysis of the Tripolar World Order

Armstrong and Getty delve into the notion proposed by opinion writer Ross Douthat, which suggests that Trump and Vance are steering U.S. foreign policy towards a tripolar world.

• Ross Douthat's Perspective:
  "[29:35] Jack Armstrong: Well, yeah, I had just read somewhere else and I was trying to find the citation that Ross is somebody high in the administration's foreign policy whisperer. And he's very big on what he just suggested Trump is doing. He's a, he is cheerleading in that piece..."

• Realism in Republican Foreign Policy:
  "[30:31] Joe Getty: Definitely think that's true. You know, even Rumsfeld way back in the day was hinting toward that with his old Europe talk."

The discussion emphasizes the departure from traditional U.S. hegemonic roles, advocating for pragmatic alliances and acknowledging America's overstretched military and economic capacities.

• Joe Getty summarizes the shift:
  "[32:54] Joe Getty: I see. I have trouble not getting backtracked to the conversation. I don't like the way JD And Trump presented a lot of the stuff..."

Personal Anecdotes and Cultural Commentary

Amidst the heavy political discourse, Armstrong and Getty intersperse their conversation with personal stories and critiques of cultural events, notably the Oscars.

• Critique of the Oscars:
  "[09:29] Joe Getty: I went to the new Captain America. Boy, is that a suck fest. Couldn't have."
  (Referencing the disappointing reception of the latest Captain America movie)

• Personal Reflections:
  "[04:02] Jack Armstrong: I'm a little hungover from a big Oscar party. What a wing ding that was."

These segments provide a lighter contrast to the intense political discussions, showcasing the hosts' ability to balance serious topics with relatable personal experiences.

Mailbag Highlights and Listener Feedback

The episode incorporates a Mailbag segment where listeners share their perspectives on the unfolding political drama.

• Listener "Jay" from San Jose, California:
  "Well, it's clear Zelensky is not a seasoned diplomat. The main issue is US Security guarantees..."

• Listener "Jim":
  "I officially regret my vote. That was a calculated and premeditated ambush of Zelensky..."

The hosts analyze these feedback points, discussing the public's divided opinions and the complexities of international diplomacy.

• Joe Getty responds to listener concerns:
  "[25:22] Joe Getty: You know, it's funny, that clip from Marco Rubio from yesterday..."

Insights and Conclusions

Armstrong and Getty conclude the episode by synthesizing their discussions on the recent White House meeting, the potential realignment of global powers, and the challenges of effective diplomacy.

• Jack Armstrong emphasizes the importance of diplomatic tact:
  "[37:50] Joe Getty: Yeah. If you've ever been on Boss or in a situation like that, walking people toward the decision you want them to make is much better than just forcing someone to do it."

• Joe Getty underscores the necessity of balancing bold policy moves with diplomatic finesse:
  "[38:13] Ashley Kinetic: This is Ashley Kineti from the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast..."
  (Note: This appears to segue into an advertisement and should be disregarded in the summary)

Overall, the episode paints a picture of a nation grappling with its role on the global stage, the ramifications of unconventional political tactics, and the enduring complexities of international relations.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

1. Joe Getty at [05:10]:
   "Interrupts some of the simplistic shouting at each other narratives."

2. Jack Armstrong at [29:35]:
   "Ross Dothat is being cheerleading in that piece, even as he describes well, which fits what he thinks is happening."

3. Joe Getty at [32:54]:
   "How could you sit there and get lectured about your own people dying?"

4. Jack Armstrong at [33:33]:
   "That's why I am so annoyed, exhausted by the whole Trump being 100% right all the time and a saint..."

5. Joe Getty at [37:50]:
   "Walking people toward the decision you want them to make is much better than just forcing someone to do it."

---

Conclusion

In "Boy Was That A Suck Fest," Armstrong and Getty offer a candid and incisive examination of a pivotal moment in U.S. foreign policy, blending political analysis with personal narratives. The episode underscores the challenges of leadership, the intricacies of international diplomacy, and the ever-evolving landscape of global alliances. For listeners seeking a thorough and engaging discourse on current events, this episode serves as a compelling exploration of the powers shaping our world today.

Transcript

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[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty, Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and get it live from Studio C Senior, a dimly.

[Joe Getty]

Lit room deep within the bowels of the Armstrong and Getty Communications compound To kick off a brand new week. And today we're under the tutelage of.

[Jack Armstrong]

Our general manager, Volodymyr Zelensko. No. What happened? Good Lord. The spicy times get spicier.

[Joe Getty]

How y'all doing? New week, new month. Oh my gosh. Pregnant with possibilities. Very exciting.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm a little hungover from a big Oscar party. What a wing ding that was.

[Joe Getty]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

I had like four different costumes I wore during the night, so that was a little stressful. And I probably drank too much Chardonnay and got out of hand.

[Joe Getty]

Oscar parties used to be a thing. I doubt they are for very many people anymore. Seems so incredibly lame.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would like to see a documentary studying people who still have Oscar parties.

[Joe Getty]

Right. And by the way, I was. Lifestyles beliefs. I was actually thinking, since we have started on a number of new stations recently that are new to our product and everything like that brief description of what we are. We are a dramedy about sex workers that helps exactly explain one of the most interesting things that's ever happened. Happened like five minutes before our show ended on Friday. So that was unfortunate that it couldn't have happened like an hour earlier or something like that. So we wouldn't miss it for two and a half days. That of course, being whatever that was that occurred in the Oval Office. One of the strangest things anybody's ever seen.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. And the more I learn about what went into it and the context, the more interesting it becomes. Interrupts some of the simplistic shouting at each other narratives. But, you know, I wish to enjoy.

[Joe Getty]

There was a way to have any conversation ever that wasn't run through the filter of are you for Trump or against him? Which dominates every conversation. Unfortunately. It makes it very difficult to figure out what people think.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well. And for a significant part of America. And I'm not sure how significant. It's hard to say because social media is such a. It's a distorting lens. It is a lens. It shows you something, but it distorts the picture in a way that it's difficult to quantify. But even more than it becoming a just a simple question of whether you like Trump or not, it seems like people who hate Trump, for instance, can argue A and hate B on Monday. Then if Trump changes his mind. Right. They love B in Hay day on Tuesday.

[Joe Getty]

Right. That's what I mean.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what I mean on both sides. That's where it gets difficult. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

We have mentioned a couple of times Mark Halpern wrote a paragraph I don't know how Many weeks ago. It was now where he said the all the Talk in Washington, D.C. is this grand deal that they're trying to put together that includes China, Russia, Greenland, Thailand, Ukraine, everything coming together in one grand bargain. Halperin said it's all the talk in D.C. you can't go anywhere with anybody, take them out. Which I find interesting given the fact that it hasn't really surfaced anywhere except for today in the Wall Street Journal. The editorial board has Trump's old world order. Does he want deals with Russia and China to carve up the planet? He should tell Americans with the idea that if this is part of a grand strategy, maybe we should all be have an idea of what's being discussed.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. It's not the sort of thing you spring on the world as a surprise.

[Joe Getty]

Because maybe how belligerent the Trump administration is toward Ukraine would make more sense if you were seeing it as part of a deal that includes Taiwan, Greenland, China and a whole bunch of other things.

[Jack Armstrong]

Correct. Correct. Well, here's an indication of whether that might hold water. The Russian Vladimir Putin spokesholes said a couple of really interesting things over the weekend. Interesting, troubling, horrifying, depending on your perspective. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, quote, the new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision. Coincides. I'm sorry. So that's interesting to have the Kremlin spokesperson say that the Trump policies coincide with our vision, which is crazy. But the other thing they said to your point is, and this is Russian state TV now, everything is being decided inside a big triangle. Russia, China and the US within this, the new construction of the world will come to fruition. The EU is a united political force, no longer exists. So they're talking about the big three way divide up of the globe into spheres of influence.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. When do we all get to find out about this? When are people going to tell us how this is going and what this is going to be?

[Jack Armstrong]

And then what's the reaction to it as it is either announced or just becomes more clear bit by bit? Right.

[Joe Getty]

Having read fairly famous book Paris 1919 from the end of World War I, when the major powers, many of the same powers, got together and carved up the world, which has caused many problems that wasn't really discussed with the world either. Bunch of important diplomats got together in a room and carved up the world and came out and said, okay, here's the way it's going to be for the next century and a half.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's your new Borders. Enjoy them.

[Joe Getty]

Enjoy them. And so maybe that's what's gonna happen here. I don't know. I mean, this. I realize this all sounds very, I don't know, lofty or, or like it's from Marvel Universe or something like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

I gotta talk about.

[Joe Getty]

I went to the new Captain America. Boy, is that a suck fest. Couldn't have.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, no.

[Joe Getty]

God, was that horrible. Wow. But Captain America great again. Yeah, we'll make Marvel great again. Just. They've gone off the rails, as many people have pointed out. But I was like, oh, just like some. There's some overarching sort of players involved in the structuring the world that the rest of the people don't know. I feel like that's. Is that what's going on now? I don't know. But, but my point being, maybe what's the thing with the way Trump's handling Putin and everything like that makes sense in that structure? I don't know. I guess we'll find out someday.

[Jack Armstrong]

And again, what's the reaction to that going to be among congressional leaders, your, your cabinet people, your Marcos Rubio, for instance, because I remember from the first Trump term, and this one's different, obviously it's been much discussed that he's figured out who he really wants around him as opposed to just taking other people's recommendation for what, you know, wisened old Washington hand he should hire. Now it's his people. But I remember that folks were with him and then they were kind of with him and then he fired them because obviously behind the scenes they were telling him, look, this can't happen. The list is long. John Bolton and go from there. I just wonder how long a Marco Rubio, for instance, will hang with this new vision. I don't know. I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

He sure seemed all in yesterday. On whichever talk show I saw him on, he seemed all in. I mean, he seemed as a, as a forceful, a mouthpiece for Trump and Vance's view as you could possibly get now, his old national security advisor, HR McMaster, who he did get rid of in the way that you just described, was on one of the talk shows yesterday. And he's not digging what's going on at all things. It was a real disaster. There's no way that was a good thing that happened on Friday. Isn't. Wouldn't it have been great to avoid.

[Jack Armstrong]

That by, by everyone, Unless you are in favor of the brave new tripolar world order. Divide up the globe thingy.

[Joe Getty]

Even then.

[Jack Armstrong]

Great.

[Joe Getty]

Even then. Wouldn't you Rather do that behind closed doors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Maybe. Maybe the. A certain chunk of the MAGA crowd seems very excited now that we can all gang up on Zelinsky and call them all the bad things that some people were two weeks ago. Some of the same people who are now jumping on that bandwagon were saying the opposite two weeks ago, which is curious. And Rubio, again, who went from looking like he was going to vomit Friday to being more gung ho than anybody on Sunday. It's kind of interesting, but.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well, maybe he. I thought he. I was reading Rubio through my lens of the way I saw the thing, at least on Friday, and I thought, Marco Rubio sinking there in the couch, the way he was fairly well portrayed by Saturday Night Live. I thought it was because he was upset, disappointed, horrified by the way Trump and Vance were acting. Turns out, at least the way he's portraying it yesterday, he was horrified by the way Zelinsky was acting. Right. And just like, dude, what are you doing? You're blowing up this whole thing. Oh, my God. Is the way Marco was thinking sitting there on the couch.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that. That rings true. Honestly, if you didn't get some of the context, if you just jumped in at the point that it went sideways, it looked like Trump and Vance had lost their minds and were just being horrific bullies. And there were some aspects of what they said and the way they said it that seemed very like schoolyard bully to me, honestly. But I was reminded of the incident in. When was it? 2011, something like that. When Netanyahu came to the White House and lectured Obama.

[Joe Getty]

I hated that. Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Even though we understand Obama.

[Joe Getty]

But, yeah, I'm a Netanyahu fan and didn't really like Barack Obama. I did not like a foreign leader coming and lecturing the president sitting there in front of a fireplace. Hated that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right. As did Obama and his people. And they just beat the crap out of Netanyahu behind. Mostly behind the scenes. This time it was in front of the scenes. And as Trump himself famously said, well, this make for good tv.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I'd say that is true. We should start the show officially. We got plenty of time to talk about a whole bunch of stuff that's going on in the world. I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this. Oh, it's a brand new month. We got a new month going on March 3rd, the year 2025. We are Armstrong and Getty, and we approve this program.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, let's begin that officially, according to FCC rules and regulations. Here we go. At.

[Joe Getty]

Mark, before we go any further, I want you to know we did not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Use AI to make this show.

[Joe Getty]

No way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no, I. Yeah, we would never do that.

[Joe Getty]

We use child labor. Hey, there's still. Of course we lost little Billy, but that's sad. Anyway.

[Jack Armstrong]

Whoa.

[Joe Getty]

I thought Conan was very charming in a unwinnable situation of a four hour telecast for something nobody cares about anymore. Right, The Oscars.

[Jack Armstrong]

I forgot it was on.

[Joe Getty]

I watched a fair amount of it just because I saw, you know, I was hoping for my movie, the one movie I saw to do well and it did not. I saw the Bob Dylan movie and then they ended up going the sex worker movie which I did not take my kids to and I only go to movies I can take my kids to.

[Jack Armstrong]

Should have had Bob Dylan marry a Russian oligarch. Apparently from that.

[Joe Getty]

Something like that. Yeah. I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Beat out the other movies I'd never heard of to win.

[Joe Getty]

Sounds great. I'll bet. I'd like it. Made it for $6 million. I love that. I think that's really cool. Anyway, so we got Katie's headlines on the way. We got to get to some more of the analysis of what's going on in the world because it's. It's complicated, man. And we got Mailbag this hour and all kinds of good stuff. I hope you can stay here. Armstrong and Getty.

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[Joe Getty]

There's no reason to complain about the Oscars because you didn't watch them or probably even know they were on. And America has long since decided they don't care about this. So there's no reason to continue shoveling dirt on that. Sure. But I watching some of it last night. I continue to marvel at how important they think their craft is. They think they're curing cancer by making these movies every year. The way they talk about them constantly. The importance like role plays in. In American society.

[Jack Armstrong]

That doesn't.

[Joe Getty]

It just doesn't.

[Jack Armstrong]

No one. We're done with work and we're tired. Sometimes we watch something to entertain ourselves.

[Joe Getty]

And then we forget about it after it happened. Some of them you really like and you talk about now and then, but they don't change the world. Get over yourself.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's fine. It's a fine way to make a living. Go about it quietly, would you please? Hey, let's figure out who's reporting what. It's the lead story with Katie Green. Katie. Thank you guys.

[J]

Starting with ABC News, Zelensky thanks United States for support. After a week of Tough diplomacy and urges real peace.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, yeah. I don't want to get sidetracked. We're going to be talking about this a lot, so I'll hold my tongue now.

[J]

From breitbart.com Vance family moved to quote, undisclosed location after pro Ukrainian protesters disrupt his ski trip.

[Joe Getty]

Don't like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hate to have your ski trip disrupted.

[J]

From npr, Israel stops the delivery of aid to Gaza until Hamas accepts US ceasefire extension.

[Jack Armstrong]

My only comment on that is I was listening to NPR this morning to punish myself for the bad things I've done and they, they had quite the report on this and the one thing that struck me was they never even suggest that Hamas or the quote unquote Palestinian people have any agents whatsoever. Their entire existence is the cruel and or merciful things Israel does to them or for them. Their actions choices are never discussed as if they're part of the formula of this. It's interesting, the lefty point of view on that.

[J]

From the New York Times, Trump turns up trade pressure on China in response to inaction on fentanyl.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, and again, that might fit into the whole carving up the world thingy. We're going to get Russia on our side to counterbalance China. And whatever I'm reading about in the.

[J]

Wall street journal from NBC, the Pentagon to send nearly 3, 000 additional active duty troops to the U. S. Mexico border.

[Joe Getty]

There you go.

[J]

From cnn, Adam Sandler's trademark casual wear mocked by oscars host Conan O'Brien.

[Joe Getty]

That was pretty funny.

[J]

He went full Federman at the Oscars. Oh yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

The only thing I can say positively about the Oscars is that.

[Joe Getty]

Some of.

[Jack Armstrong]

The tuxedos are cool.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, they are.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mean they go so far. I mean some of them are a little over the top, especially for a, a zoftig middle aged man like myself. I couldn't pull off those looks. But the whole, it's not just black and white. You can go interesting colors. I like that.

[J]

From the New York Post. Texas may rename New York strip steak indirect at shot liberal Empire State. That shouldn't get the credit. They're gonna rename it the Texas strip steak.

[Joe Getty]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Instead of the New York strip.

[Joe Getty]

Kind of like the Gulf of America of stakes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly.

[J]

And finally from the Babylon Bee insult to injury, Trump changes Netflix password. Now Zelensky has to get his own account.

[Joe Getty]

No. Never ends. Ah, the lighter side. Oh my God, no kidding. The lighter side of a horrible, horrible war. I mean, just brutal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, ish. He's just right.

[Joe Getty]

We my favorite analysis I read. Let me try that again. My favorite analysis I read of this whole thing from a great opinion writer at some point this hour that I thought put it in pretty good perspective. And we got a bunch of other stuff. Joe's got Mailbag.

[Jack Armstrong]

Mailbag is very interesting and revealing.

[Joe Getty]

Oh cool.

[Jack Armstrong]

I will just say that I can't.

[Joe Getty]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Glow I think the last line in the President's Truth social post is the one to focus in on, and that is, will we ready to re. Engage when they're ready to make peace? Which is clearly what the president's goal is here. He's trying to get Russia to the table to see if there's a way to bring about an end to this conflict. That's his goal. That's his only goal. And, you know, hopefully we'll get to a point where that's possible.

[Joe Getty]

You know, it's funny, that clip from Marco Rubio from yesterday. I felt like after watching that whole thing on Friday, I finally understood Trump's position, but I hadn't understood it before, and I'm not sure Zelensky had understood it before. What Trump's trying to say is, look, we're there to help you if you want to end the war, but we're not interested in you continuing fighting the war. So you can't just, like, continue to fight the war once we commit to helping you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

And I don't think that was presented in a way that President Zelinsky understood or something. At some point prior to. There were.

[Jack Armstrong]

There were a number of aspects of that that bothered me, including, I think, maybe some of the subtleties of language that were lost, which turned argument ugly, unappreciated.

[Joe Getty]

I can't imagine. Oh, man, I made Bernie Sanders sound like Pavarotti. Oh, my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

One of the Flemish masters there.

[Joe Getty]

That was rough.

[Jack Armstrong]

The pH.

[Joe Getty]

I am. I'm getting over whatever I had last week.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yes, you're in the clearing out the system phase, huh?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I'm at about 60%, I think, but I live my life at about 72%, so.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

You know, I'm close to normal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Got it. Just for inflation or something like that.

[Joe Getty]

What was I gonna say? Oh, yeah, I can't imagine. Well, I don't speak a second language at all, but I can't imagine if I did, getting into a HE argument in somebody else's language and trying to keep up and not doing great harm by not exactly the right words and not exactly the right tone. Because you don't speak the language right.

[Jack Armstrong]

And particularly if people are throwing around what are known as idiomatic phrases meaning slang in expressions we all understand the literal meaning of as native English speakers. But. But somebody learning the language, it would be completely lost on them. You have no cards. I'm not playing cards is a perfectly reasonable thing to say. If you don't understand that, that means in a negotiation, you have Few leverages, a few levers to use.

[Joe Getty]

Well, when he said what do you mean by diplomacy, JD which seemed to really set JD Vance off, that's when things went really crazy. He might have said that completely differently or different tone if he was speaking his own language. I mean, you don't know any, right? I thought one of the most interesting things I came across over the weekend was Ross do Thought's opinion piece in the Wall in or the New York Times rather. Now his co conservative using my finger quotes in the New York Times. They, you know, they're conservatives are not exactly same as you get everywhere else. But Bret Stephens was, his piece was just absolutely this was a disaster. Trump is a villain, et cetera, et cetera. Rossi Thought wrote this piece. Trump and Vance are stripping away foreign policy illusions. And I thought this was really interesting and we talked a little bit about this last week. Donald Trump, Henry kissinger remarked in 2018 may be one of those figures in history who appears from time to time to mark the end of an era and force it to give up its old pretenses, which I don't know that I'd ever heard. That quote, that general first term comment might as well be marching orders for Trump's second term foreign policy. From policy and speeches to Friday's blow up in the Oval Office. The president of Ukraine. Everything Trump is doing and saying and everything his vice president is saying and doing is ruthlessly stripping away pretenses in the United States, around the United States and around the world. And he gives some examples. Here you go. A pretense. The United States is capable of playing the hegemonic role it played 20 years ago, fully supporting Democratic allies in every region, standing ready to fight wars across multiple theaters, refusing any compromise with authoritarianism. The reality, America is overstretched. A more multipolar world requires making deals with unpleasant regimes. And we need to recalibrate and retrench in ways that require much more of our allies. Any comment on that?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, yeah, I had just read somewhere else and I was trying to find the citation that Ross is somebody high in the administration's foreign policy whisperer. And he's very big on what he just suggested Trump is doing. He's a, he is cheerleading in that piece, even as he describes well, which fits what he thinks is happening.

[Joe Getty]

Which fits in the thing we were talking about earlier about this grand bargain that might be working behind the scenes with China, Taiwan, Greenland, Russia, all the different things in one piece. Here's another pretense, a pretense our European Allies are strong nations and equal partners in protecting the security of the world. The reality, Europe has been badly misgoverned. Its economic position is perilous, its demographic situation is miserable in its military capacities have atrophied and most of the chest thumping about a revival of European power is empty talk and fantasy politics.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is correct.

[Joe Getty]

Definitely think that's true. You know, even Rumsfeld way back in the day was hinting toward that with his old Europe talk. You know, it's not, it's not what it used to be.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, a preaching. I've been fairly staunchly in favor of helping Ukraine defeat Russia, not the idiotic half measures of the Biden administration. You know, I'm on the record as having said that, but I was reading it might have been a journal, I can't remember. Europe to forge new peace plan. It's going to be lean much more heavily on European power and prestige and the rest of it. And I read that and it just, it struck me as pathetic. I mean, just, just sad because they don't have the capacity to influence events practically at all. Well, that's, that's an overstatement, but they don't have much capacity to do that. It was just, it was exactly what Ross Dothat was just talking about. Faded powers still shining up their metals and putting on their moth eaten, you know, uniforms of significance.

[Joe Getty]

And by the way, this whole end of an era and doing away with old pretenses. I've had to do it in my own life a few times. It's not a pleasant experience. No, it's not without its bumps. Whenever you have to do that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, and I'm presuming that the people in your personal life that you're describing were not armed to the teeth with advanced weaponry.

[Joe Getty]

Right? Another pretense. With enough military aid and moral support, the Ukrainians can roll back the Russians, secure their pre war borders and eventually join NATO. The reality, the war is stalemated. There's no path to Ukrainian victory short of a direct American intervention, which ain't gonna happen. Some kind of negotiated settlement is inevitable. NATO membership was never in the cards. And there's value in speaking more openly about uncomfortable realities. People need to know that the world is not what it was in 2000 or even in 2012. They need to understand that the kind of issues that J.D. vance raised in his controversial speech in Europe about free speech and how they need to step up to the plate and their NATO support and all that sort of stuff is real. And people need to understand that the armistice that the Trump administration seems to want to negotiate with Russia may not look all that different from the end game that would have developed under a Democratic president. It would just taken longer, and I.

[Jack Armstrong]

Think that's almost true. Mm. Yeah. More death and destruction.

[Joe Getty]

I see. I have trouble not getting backtracked to the conversation. I don't like the way JD And Trump presented a lot of the stuff. I think they put Zelensky in an impossible position. How could you sit there and get lectured about your own people dying? I might have thrown punches.

[Jack Armstrong]

I found that aspect of it sickening. Literally sickening. Yes.

[Joe Getty]

You don't understand. I don't understand. I don't understand what's going on here. You know how many funerals I've been to? Do you know how many mangled children.

[Jack Armstrong]

I've seen being yelled at? Your people are dying. Yeah, I know.

[Joe Getty]

I'm aware of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

There's.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, that's. That's why I am so annoyed, exhausted by the whole. Trump's 100% right all the time and a saint. Or he's the new Hitler and a villain. And even if he advocates something is clearly good as opening the schools, I'm against it. And if he says the. The Bat virus came out of Wuhan, I'm gonna stand up for Chinese Communists. I mean, whether trumpophilia or trumpophobia are both just so dumb. Wears me out. So is Ross Dutz column there in the main on the button? Is he just, you know, is he describing reality and we need to adjust to it and realize the old world is moving away, blah, blah, blah. Okay, all right, super. But does that mean that that meeting was not ugly and unnecessarily, just bullying and nasty and a bad look?

[Joe Getty]

I will close with this couple of paragraphs about that right after we tell you about Simplisafe and why you should get this at home. I know it makes me so much more comfortable when I drive away from my house. When we left the house the other night to go to see that awful, awful Captain American movie, I know my house is protected by simply safe. And the cameras and all the stuff there in the sensors and the liveguard protection, where you actually got people and AI involved in catching people before they break into your home.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's right. The active guard outdoor protection is amazing. If somebody's lurking around or acting suspiciously suspiciously, the agents see and talk to them in real time. They can activate spotlights, even contact the police, all before they have a chance to get inside your home. No long term contracts or cancellations because Simplisafe earns your business every single day and these crazy advanced monitoring plans start affordably at around a buck a day. Visit simplisafe.com armstrong Claim 50% off your new system with the professional monitoring plan in your first first month free. That's simplisafe.com Armstrong there's no safe like Simplisafe so I'll try to wrap this.

[Joe Getty]

Up fast because I want to get to Mailbag and hear what people had to say about all the stuff that happened over the weekend. But so after Ross Douthat just said, you know, Trump's just ushering in reality, which I think he agrees with, I agree with there. Here's a little he could have handled it better Pretense in foreign policy is not always the same thing as self deception. It's also just a form of being polite, of circling uncomfortable subjects and making countries that are in your debt or whom you need to strong arm feel like they're friends and not just subjects. It's a way to give foreign leaders space to do what you want them to do while they are also handled their own domestic audiences, making sure that you aren't accidentally empowering parties hostile to your policies. Most of the foreign policy team around Trump, so far as I can tell, imagines itself doing what realist Republican presidents like Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon have done in the past, matching means and ends, accepting lesser evils to avoid greater ones, and delivering necessary shock therapy for a system of alliances that needs it. But those realist presidents were also extremely fluent in the language of diplomacy. They could wax idealistic when the situation called for it, speak smoothly even when they are acting ruthlessly, and settle allies down as well as trigger them. Trump does not speak diplomatically and never will, but his first term foreign policy succeeded with the president playing the heavy while his appointees offered normalcy. His second term to date needs more of that balance. Someone to twist arms and someone to smooth feathers, someone to speak frankly and someone to keep the frankest truth telling off camera. I would say that is true. He did have some well of those kind of diplomats that can kind of massage things along with his blunt talk. There was no massaging anything on Friday.

[Jack Armstrong]

Because in international relations, in the, you know, the life of a nation, the deal today is important. But how people feel about it and what happens the next time and the next time and the next time really matters, you can't, you know, stick a knife in somebody's hand and make them sign a document and say, there we go, it's all settled now because you're going to need them or want them or something down the road.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. If you've ever been on Boss or in a situation like that, walking people toward the decision you want them to make is much better than just forcing someone to do it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or as a parent or a spouse.

[Joe Getty]

Perfect example.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Anyway, we got to get the mailbag that's coming up. You can always comment anytime you want. Text line 415295 KFTC ARMSTRONG and GETTY.

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[Jack Armstrong]

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[Joe Getty]

Why is it considered a scandal. If you look disappointed if you didn't win, isn't that the normal shouldn't you be hoping you won't and be disappointed if you didn't win?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh no, you've got to be gracious and happy for the people. I'm so happy for you. One more reason I hate Hollywood. Well pointed out. Here's your freedom loving quote of the day beginning a series from Teddy Roosevelt.

[Joe Getty]

Oh yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

No nation deserves to exist if it permits itself to lose the stern and virile virtues. And this without regard to whether the loss is due to the growth of a heartless and self absorbing commercialism to promote prolonged indulgence in luxury and soft effortless ease, or to the deification of a warped and twisted sentimentality. In other words, if a nation stops being a hard ass, it will crumble. If you lose the manly virtues and womanly of a nation, it does not deserve to exist. Speak softly, Carry a big stick center mailbag drop us note mailbag@armstrong and getty.com I have not stacked these emails in any particular order. They are all about the explosive White House meeting on Friday. And it's not enough data to really form an idea of what you good folks think, but I thought it was interesting the variety of perspectives. Having said that, Jay in San Jose, California well, well, it's clear Zelensky is not a seasoned diplomat. The main issue is US Security guarantees. He's been willing to trade mineral wealth for reconstruction. Continued arming of his military and security was a mistake for him to bring up US Security guarantees in that setting.

[Joe Getty]

You know, the New York Post says that the Democrats, some Democrats put him up to that. You know, you need to challenge them. Don't let them get away with not giving security guarantees. Man, they let him down a bad road if that's what happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, we'll dig into that later. Jim says, I officially regret my vote. That was a calculated and premeditated ambush of Zelinsky. It was hard to watch. It was painful to watch. It was sad to watch. I officially regret my vote. Because of it, Donald Trump is as mentally unfit for office as Joe Biden, but in a different way. Then he says, we're Americans. We support freedom more than anything else. That's who we are and that's what makes our country so great. Then he goes into some of the horrors of the Ukrainian war. Ukrainian men captured or systematically tortured, forced to fight against their own countrymen. Zero chance of survival. Thousands of children ripped away from their families now being institutionalized in Russia goes.

[Joe Getty]

On and on man, when Trump said to Zelensky, look at the hatred he has for Putin. How can we possibly make a deal with the guy who has this kind of hatred for Putin? How would you not have hatred for Putin?

[Jack Armstrong]

I know that's utterly insane to say that. And yet on a lot of, you know, the other aspects of this they've talked about, like Marco Rubio and Ross do that column just now. Yeah, you're right. Anyway, moving along, let's see, B rights, guys. Friday's meeting in the White House brings to mind the old adage, big men are hard on, hard on themselves. Small men are hard on others. Right. Let's see. John writes, I voted for Trump. I don't regret it and still support a lot of what he wants to do. But watching man who actively avoided the military and a sidekick who had a non combat political resume building role in the military, both attack and demean a president fighting for his goddamn life of his country and democracy was disgusting. It appeared to me that J.D. vance forced a shouting match so he could score bounty brownie points with Trump.

[Joe Getty]

I don't get that role at all. That's surprising to me. I'm, I'm surprised Trump's cool with J.D. vance, like, taking a role in how far things are gonna go. No, I'll decide how far we're gonna go. You just sit there and watch. You're the Vice president.

[Jack Armstrong]

If we're gonna brow beat a foreign leader on camera, it's gonna be me doing it and figuring out how far it's gonna go. Yeah, I would agree. At the same time, though, as we said earlier, the idea of a foreign leader coming in and lecturing our president on camera is highly improper. Highly. So again, there's a lot of, a lot of good and bad, you know, admirable and not admirable on all sides here.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, there's a great piece in the National Review about how Zelensky should have handled this and how he screwed up. And we'll get to that later.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, let's see. How about this? Jim says, I've been with Ukraine from day one. Hate the Russians in the invasion, but there's been no movement of the lines in the war for over a year. Trump's main point is that that time is now being wasted by Ukraine hoping some grand breakthrough will occur. It will not. Also, Ukraine is a weight on us around our neck. Instead, we could get dragged into something. I am all for the real politic of beating Putin, but Trump has his eye on a bigger picture. Yes, Putin's a war criminal, but it's all under the bridge at this point. In other words, let's stop screwing around and get to peace so people stop dying.

[Joe Getty]

I get that. You gotta massage that though.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would agree. You know there, there are plenty of examples in history of the right thing being done in the wrong way that happens.

[Joe Getty]

That whole thing of Zielinski wanting to continue to fight reminds me of a line from Gladiator when they about to destroy yet another tribe that they want to take their land and friend of Russell Crowe says why don't people understand when they're defeated and Russell Crowe says to him, would you? Would I? Yeah, it's easier said than done, right? We got a lot more on this and would love to hear from you. We're getting some interesting texts. 415295, KFTC if you miss a segment, get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on demand.

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[Jack Armstrong]

And [e-mail] hello, it is Ryan and.

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[Jack Armstrong]

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