Armstrong & Getty On Demand — "D.E.I. Ain't It Great?"
October 30, 2025 – iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This Armstrong & Getty episode jumps from the global political landscape and AI's influence on markets and society, to a deep-dive into the latest “ban books” debates, and a thorough roast of a new political memoir. Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty maintain their signature satirical, candid, and occasionally acerbic tone, using current headlines as fuel for wider cultural commentary, especially focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and its role (and shortcomings) in contemporary American institutions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hot Takes on Global Politics and Economics

• Tariffs & U.S.-Asia Policy:

  • The show opens riffing on President Trump’s meeting with South Korea and China’s President Xi. The hosts mock Trump’s exuberant self-assessment of the meeting ("I would say the meeting was at 12" [01:10]), noting how such rhetoric outpaces reality and highlighting global uncertainty with tariffs and economic threats.
  • Quote:
    “On a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 12. …That’s like turning your answer to 11.” – Joe Getty [01:18]

• AI-Dominated Markets:

  • The team breaks down recent surges in the stock market, attributing much of the growth to the so-called "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks (Nvidia, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft, Meta/Google).
  • They discuss the risk of a bubble and the difficulty in predicting a burst.
  • Quote:
    “The best way to make money in markets is to spot a bubble early, hop on board as it inflates, and then get out in time.” – Joe Getty, citing Bloomberg [04:24]
  • Quote:
    “No, that’s the problem. That last part.” – Jack Armstrong, on market timing [04:40]
  • Jack expresses deep unease:
    “It feels so bubbly to me and… I’m gonna kick the hell out of myself that I didn’t listen to my own good judgment.” [06:27]

2. AI's Societal Dilemmas: Ethics & Tragedy

• ChatGPT Lawsuit & AI Suicide Risks:
  • A lawsuit alleges a teen’s suicide was facilitated by a chatbot, prompting a wide-ranging discussion about AI’s potential dangers when interacting with vulnerable individuals.
  • Quote:
    “ChatGPT says more than a million people a week show suicidal ideation on their site.” – Joe Getty [07:43]
  • The hosts condemn AI responses that might aid self-harm.
  • Quote:
    “Come on, ChatGPT, do better. …If I say I’m really depressed… and I think I want to kill myself—Terrific! Great idea. Here’s how to get a rope… No, don’t program it to do that.” – Jack Armstrong [09:03]
• AI as a Tool vs. Threat:
  • Joe discusses using AI daily and notes the Nvidia CEO’s belief:
    “People aren’t going to lose their jobs to AI. They’re going to lose their jobs to people who don’t know how to use AI.” [13:42]

3. Book Banning & the Culture Wars

• Detailed critique of PEN America’s book banning statistics, highlighting inflated and misleading definitions.
  • Quote:
    “Age appropriateness is not a ban.” – Jack Armstrong [17:37]
  • The team emphasizes how access restrictions for age-appropriateness are misrepresented as full bans, drawing a satirical comparison with Nazi book burning.
  • Quote:
    “This is not exactly Nazi book burning here, folks. Phony.” – Joe Getty [18:09]
• Reference to how most “banned” books are still available for purchase online, challenging the narrative of widespread censorship.

4. Sports as Shared Culture

• World Series & Social Fabric:
  • Joe and Jack profess their enjoyment of the World Series and reflect on how sports fosters rare, positive shared experiences, contrasting with contemporary social division.
  • Quote:
    “The first shared experience I’ve had with random people in I don’t know how long.” – Joe Getty [19:14]
  • They highlight pitcher Trey Yesavage’s unlikely ascension as a feel-good story of talent and resilience.
    • Quote:
      “He walked the first two batters… Coach jogs out, and before he could say anything, Yesavage said, ‘I know, I know, I’m good.’” – Jack Armstrong [31:33]
  • Comparison to Joe Montana’s famous Super Bowl anecdote for poise under pressure [34:46].

5. Political Memoirs: A Roast of KJP’s "Independent"

• A withering segment on Karine Jean-Pierre’s new book and disastrous press tour.
  • Quote:
    “Unless the title of the book was ‘I Was Awful at My Job,’ it’s misleading.” – Jack Armstrong [20:50]
• The hosts lampoon Jean-Pierre’s evasiveness and word-salad responses, especially her claim that her subtitle “A Look Inside a Broken White House” referred to the Trump administration, not her own time serving Biden.
  • Quote:
    “You write a book that says ‘A look inside a broken White House’… and then say, ‘Oh, I’m talking about the Trump White House.’ What?” – Joe Getty [21:53]
  • Gayle King’s incredulous interview is recounted, with KJP’s famous evasion:
    “With age comes what happens when you get older.” – KJP, read by Jack Armstrong [28:28]
  • The hosts speculate on the role of DEI/identity in her hiring—and firing:
    Quote:
    “Admiral Kirby’s really capable at his job. You are not… Not everything is identity politics.” – Joe Getty [27:04]
• General consensus: the press tour is a masterclass in self-contradiction and poor communications—the very things KJP was hired to combat.

6. Society, DEI, and ‘Upper-Class Twits’

• The episode closes with a Matt Taibbi quote, reflecting on how modern DEI narratives and “over-educated kids talking like Marxists” reflect the disconnect of elite activism.
  • Quote:
    “We’re in the upper class twits promoting revolution space. A script with which most of the rest of the world is sadly familiar.” – Matt Taibbi, quoted by Joe Getty [36:03]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “On a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 12.” – Trump (read by Joe Getty) [01:18]
• “No, that’s the problem. That last part.” – Jack Armstrong, re: market timing [04:40]
• “If I… had taken every cent we had and… put it into those seven stocks… that’s just unbelievable.” – Joe Getty [03:54]
• “ChatGPT says more than a million people a week show suicidal ideation on their site.” – Joe Getty [07:43]
• “Terrific! Great idea. Here’s how to get a rope…” – Jack Armstrong, lampooning poorly programmed AI responses [09:17]
• “Age appropriateness is not a ban.” – Jack Armstrong [17:37]
• “This is not exactly Nazi book burning here, folks.” – Joe Getty [18:09]
• “The first shared experience I’ve had with random people in I don’t know how long.” – Joe Getty [19:14]
• “Unless the title of the book was ‘I Was Awful at My Job,’ it’s misleading.” – Jack Armstrong [20:50]
• “You were the press secretary for a former administration… and then when asked, you claim you’re talking about the Trump White House. What?” – Joe Getty [21:53]
• “With age comes what happens when you get older.” – KJP, ridiculed by Jack Armstrong [28:28]
• “Admiral Kirby’s really capable at his job. You are not… That’s where the analysis begins and ends.” – Joe Getty [27:04]
• “We’re in the upper class twits promoting revolution space. A script with which most of the rest of the world is sadly familiar.” – Matt Taibbi, quoted [36:03]

Timestamps: Segment Highlights

• 00:36 – Show opens, global politics and tariffs
• 01:42 – Trump/Xi meeting and economic fallout
• 02:37 – AI and "Magnificent Seven" stocks discussion
• 07:12 – Lawsuit: ChatGPT’s role in suicide tragedy
• 13:42 – Nvidia CEO on AI, jobs, and market advice
• 15:32 – PEN America and book bans, definition critique
• 18:41 – Sports as a community bond (World Series)
• 20:39 – Political memoir madness: KJP’s book eviscerated
• 27:04 – The DEI debate, identity politics vs. competence
• 36:03 – Matt Taibbi on “upper class twits”

Tone & Style

Armstrong and Getty maintain a sardonic, conversational approach, blending quick-witted satire and skepticism—especially when confronting platitudes from politicians, institutions, or corporate narratives around DEI. Their humor is often biting, balancing exasperation and levity, and the pair utilizes personal anecdotes to ground broader societal debates.

Conclusion

Listeners get a tour of modern American anxieties—AI’s power and peril, cultural fragmentation, confusion over book bans, and rolling their eyes at DEI platitudes. With pointed humor and skepticism, Armstrong and Getty ask their audience to “put some pants on”—metaphorically demanding a return to substance and sanity in public life. This episode is especially memorable for its takedown of KJP’s memoir and its unflinching look at the strange shape of contemporary discourse.