Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: If The Big Red Shoes Fit, Wear Them.
Date: January 6, 2026
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Main Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Contributors: Katie Green, Jacob Goldstein

Episode Overview

In this episode, Armstrong & Getty dive into two headline-grabbing stories: the fallout from the U.S. government’s dramatic intervention in Venezuela and the jaw-dropping scope of government welfare fraud in Minnesota. The show blends biting humor, sharp skepticism, and deep frustration at systemic dysfunction, offering news analysis, lively banter, some exasperated rants, and their trademark irreverent take on current events.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Greenland as the (Joking) General Manager

• The show opens with their customary tongue-in-cheek selection of “general manager.” This time: Greenland.
• [02:22] Jack Armstrong: “Green Greenland is a country.”
• Jokes about Greenland’s tiny population and the Trump adviser, Stephen Miller, allegedly wanting to seize Greenland by force.
• [02:57] Joe Getty: “Trump’s one of Trump’s top advisers, Stephen Miller, who would slip right into an SS uniform and look pretty good in it… is making noises about… if Greenland isn’t gonna willingly become our 51st state, maybe we just grab it up.”

2. Venezuela’s Political Turmoil and Regime Change

• Focus shifts sharply to Venezuela after the U.S. capture/ousting of President Maduro.
• The show discusses new leader Rodríguez and references Game of Thrones for the high drama.
  • [04:10] Jack Armstrong: “If you liked Game of Thrones or are a Shakespeare fan… she is living that life right now.”
  • [04:28] Joe Getty: “She is stuck between a couple of vicious, vicious adversaries... or I’m not... deadly.”
• Examination of Venezuela’s oil wealth, its history, and how it became a kleptocratic criminal state despite its resources.
• Questioned why Venezuela didn’t become an oil superpower like Saudi Arabia.
  • [06:43] Joe Getty: “Difficulty of extraction and... they just weren’t advanced in their oil extraction capabilities until the U.S. companies came in. And then immediately the totalitarians said yeah, we want that money and nationalized the oil fields.”
• Skepticism about the narrative that ‘if women were in charge’ things would be peaceful, using Rodríguez as a counter-example.
  • [07:38] Joe Getty: “You people who say that—do you know any women?”
  • [08:10] Katie Green: “Are you joking?”
• Frustration with U.S. media coverage focusing more on Trump’s involvement than on Venezuela’s past brutality.
  • [08:50] Joe Getty: “We don’t want to publish that truth, that important truth, because that would undermine our narrative.”

3. Maduro’s Downfall and U.S. Policy

• The hosts detail Maduro’s refusal to accept amnesty and his defiant behavior.
  • [12:34] Jack Armstrong (reading): “Maduro’s quote overt arrogance, including... his public dancing helped persuade some on the president’s team that Maduro would not leave on his own.”
  • [12:46] Joe Getty: “His public dancing. That’s my favorite footnote from history ever.”
• Speculate on the swift change of power in Venezuela and U.S. foreign policy implications.
  • [13:10] Joe Getty: “Administration reached out to Maduro and said... complete amnesty... but you gotta go. And he said, ‘f you.’”

4. Rampant Welfare Fraud in Minnesota

• One of the main topics (and the episode's title referent), this segment details a truly massive government welfare fraud scheme affecting Minnesota’s child-care system — possibly up to $9 billion stolen.
  • [25:25] Jack Armstrong: “Way back in the year 2025... it’s more like $9 billion.”
  • [26:33] Joe Getty: “It was not a system beset by fraud. It was a fraud system.”
• Amateur journalist Nick Shirley’s viral exposé is highlighted, including his confrontation at the fake “Leering Center.”
  • [28:44] Nick Shirley (clip): “My name is Nick Shirley.”
  • [29:01] Joe Getty: “‘We are from ourselves.’ Yes, I want that on a T-shirt.”
• Government response and political fallout—Governor Tim Waltz’s excuses, finger-pointing at conservatives, and refusal to accept responsibility.
  • [35:45] Tim Waltz (clip): “We’ll win the fight against the fraudsters, but the political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder... President... is demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongfully confiscating funds that Minnesotans rely on. It's disgusting and it's dangerous.”
  • [36:25] Joe Getty: “He should be in jail. Criminal negligence. Put him in jail. Put him next to Maduro.”
• Broader commentary on America’s vulnerability to emotional government spending and lack of accountability.
  • [39:05] Jack Armstrong: “It’s amazing how big a scandal you can have around ripping off taxpayers and they just go away. People are mad like I’m mad. But nothing ever happens.”
  • [39:10] Joe Getty: “Time for a mob with some nice pitchforks, torches, axe handles, if that’s your preferred tool... peacefully, of course.”

5. News Updates, Headlines & Banter

• Katie Green’s news roundup touches on:
  • NBC/CBS coverage of Venezuela and Greenland
  • Politico: “Bondi threatened with fines...” in an Epstein documents case
  • Corruption & welfare fraud in Minnesota
  • AI chatbots (Grok) undressing women in photos
  • Tom Brady's involvement in Raiders’ hiring process
  • News about “Thousand Pound Sisters” (TLC show)—with characteristic sarcasm and quips from the hosts.
• Banter and cultural criticism, including the dangers of liquid nitrogen in cocktails and the absurdity of AI rumors.

6. Property Rights & Political Ideology Rant

• In a late segment, a quote from tenant advocate Sia Weaver is read and critiqued harshly for leftist dogma about private property.
  • [43:03] Sia Weaver (clip): “Private property, including and kind of especially homeownership, is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as wealth building public policy.”
  • Long discussion about socialist/communist rhetoric in contemporary American politics.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [02:57] Joe Getty: “Trump’s one of Trump’s top advisers, Stephen Miller, who would slip right into an SS uniform and look pretty good in it.”
• [04:10] Jack Armstrong: “If you liked Game of Thrones... she is living that life right now.”
• [06:43] Joe Getty: “I can give you the grade school answer. Difficulty of extraction... US companies came in and then immediately the totalitarians said... yeah, we want that money and they nationalized the oil fields.”
• [07:38] Joe Getty: “You people who say that—do you know any women?”
• [12:46] Joe Getty: “His public dancing. That’s my favorite footnote from history ever. I can take him thumbing his nose at America... but the dancing, all the dancing.”
• [26:33] Joe Getty: “It was not a system beset by fraud. It was a fraud system.”
• [29:04] Jack Armstrong: “‘We are from ourselves.’ We learn from ourselves.”
• [35:45] Tim Waltz (clip): “We’ll win the fight against the fraudsters, but the political gamesmanship we’re seeing from Republicans is only making that fight harder...”
• [36:25] Joe Getty: “He should be in jail. Criminal negligence. Put him in jail. Put him next to Maduro.”
• [39:05] Jack Armstrong: “It’s amazing how big a scandal you can have around ripping off taxpayers and they just go away. People are mad like I’m mad. But nothing ever happens.”
• [43:03] Sia Weaver (clip): “Private property, including and kind of especially homeownership, is a weapon of white supremacy masquerading as wealth building public policy.”

Important Segment Timestamps

| Segment/Topic | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------------|------------| | Humorous Greenland Open & Trump/Stephen Miller Riff | 02:22–03:44| | Venezuela – Rodríguez, Maduro, Oil Economy | 03:44–11:57| | Official Start of Show / Maduro Overthrown, Dancing | 11:57–13:43| | News Roundup: Venezuela, Greenland, Epstein, AI, Sports | 17:05–20:43| | Minnesota Welfare Fraud: Overview, Nick Shirley’s Reporting | 25:25–31:12| | Gov. Tim Waltz's Response & Political Fallout | 35:45–37:47| | General Rant on Government Waste & Accountability | 37:47–39:23| | Sia Weaver’s Anti-Private Property Quote & Discussion | 43:03–44:12|

Tone & Language

Armstrong & Getty’s style in this episode is sardonic, biting, and exasperated with both government incompetence and naïve idealism. The show features heavy doses of skepticism, humor (often gallows or sarcastic), and a persistent through-line of frustration at lack of responsible leadership or media honesty. They dip into pop culture (Game of Thrones, TLC’s "Thousand Pound Sisters"), news headlines, media criticism, and social commentary without ever losing their edge or their sense of the absurd.

Summary Takeaway

This episode delivers a vivid blend of political drama, institutional outrage, and anti-bureaucratic humor. The Venezuela story and the Minnesota fraud scandal serve as case studies in what the hosts see as the consequences of weak leadership, media bias, and unaccountable government—backed by sharp one-liners, skeptical rants, and signature Armstrong & Getty camaraderie.