I'm Fairly Fond Of Me

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: “I'm Fairly Fond Of Me”
Release Date: April 2, 2025 | Host: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the April 2, 2025 episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a variety of pressing topics, ranging from economic policies and genetic ethics to societal changes and recent criminal cases. This comprehensive discussion offers listeners insightful perspectives on contemporary issues shaping modern America.

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Major Political Developments: Liberation Day and Tariffs

The episode opens with a significant political event termed Liberation Day, marking President Trump's announcement of new tariff policies aimed at reshaping America's economic landscape.

• Liberation Day Announcement:
  Jack Armstrong emphasizes the day’s historical importance, stating, “April 2, 2025 will go as one of the most important days in modern American history” (01:23).

• Tariff Options Discussed:
  The President faces a choice between implementing a flat 20% tariff on all imports or adopting variable tariffs that align with those imposed by other countries. Joe Getty notes, “So there you go. It is Liberation Day. We've got more on that coming up this hour” (01:43).

• Economic Implications:
  The hosts explore potential outcomes of the tariff decision. Jack Armstrong cites ABC News, highlighting concerns from economists about steep costs to American consumers (20:04). Joe Getty adds, “We're probably gonna get stagflation, which we haven't had for many, many years” (27:03), underscoring the possible economic turmoil ahead.

• Global Reactions and Challenges:
  The discussion touches on China's strategic moves to circumvent tariffs by relocating manufacturing to Mexico, prompting Katie to remark, “If you're going to have tariffs at all, maybe a uniform tariff is the way to go” (31:45).

• Policy Critique:
  The hosts critique the complexity and potential ineffectiveness of the tariff strategies. Joe Getty harshly comments, “This is the greatest act of political and policy suicide with stupidity aforethought in modern times” (27:40), reflecting skepticism about the administration's approach.

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Genetic Testing and Ethical Dilemmas in Fertility

A significant portion of the episode delves into the ethical considerations surrounding advancements in genetic testing and its impact on fertility choices.

• Advances in Genetic Testing:
  Joe Getty references a New York Times opinion piece discussing how genetic testing and AI are transforming IVF: “Are we ready for the future of fertility? Asking the question, how much of what your baby is going to be like? Do you want to choose?” (02:11).

• Ethical Concerns:
  Katie expresses strong opposition to the idea of selecting traits beyond basic health markers: “All this other stuff, that's in God's hands” (03:35). The hosts debate the moral implications, with Joe Getty questioning the societal impact: “Do you want to choose? Isn’t that obviously a recipe for disaster for humankind?” (02:57).

• Public Opinion and Consequences:
  Citing a 2022 survey, Joe Getty reveals that “4 in 10 said they would use this technology if it would increase the chances of their child getting into a top college” (05:01), highlighting the potential demand despite ethical concerns.

• Future Implications:
  The hosts ponder the long-term effects of designer babies, debating whether such practices could undermine human diversity and innovation: “It's like the other day when I... it's clearly a horrible road for mankind to go down” (11:21).

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Societal Shifts: Declining Reproductive Rates and Overpopulation

The episode addresses the paradox of declining birth rates in developed countries amidst overpopulation in less developed regions.

• Listener Insights:
  Katie shares a listener’s perspective: “There are plenty of places that are overpopulated and continue to grow. Mumbai, for example” (07:01), suggesting that reproductive rates are influenced by societal factors like boredom and technological distractions.

• Economic Stability and Birth Rates:
  Joe Getty posits that “a certain level of safety and comfort” might contribute to lower birth rates, correlating economic stability with decreased reproductive urgency (08:08).

• Technological Impact:
  The discussion touches on how smartphones and constant access to entertainment may reduce the desire for procreation: “The advent of the smartphone is ensured that we are never bored” (07:01).

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Election Dynamics and Voter Behavior

Analyzing recent special elections, the hosts explore the influence of presidential popularity and candidate charisma on voter turnout and results.

• Wisconsin Special Elections:
  Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty discuss the unexpected Democratic win in Wisconsin’s special elections, attributing it to low Republican voter turnout: “Republicans have a low propensity voter problem in off year elections” (14:49).

• Impact of Personalities in Politics:
  The conversation highlights how personalities like Trump and Obama drive voter engagement differently: “Their unbelievable turnout powers and cult of personality thing doesn't transfer to other elections” (16:18).

• Libertarian Perspectives:
  Referencing Robby Suave from Reason magazine, Joe Getty criticizes the misunderstanding of election outcomes as mere referendums on prominent figures like Elon Musk: “The Wisconsin election was not a referendum on this, man” (15:37).

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Consumer Behavior and Political Alignment

A fascinating segment explores how shopping behaviors can reflect political leanings, potentially fostering greater empathy across political divides.

• Brain Studies on Shopping:
  Katie introduces a study suggesting that “how your brain reacts to buying groceries can reveal your politics” (32:35). This revelation opens up discussions on the subconscious factors influencing political identities.

• Encouraging Understanding:
  The hosts suggest that recognizing these underlying connections might “make you slightly more charitable toward folks of a different political stripe” (37:03).

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Crime and Public Safety

The podcast shifts to a harrowing criminal case, emphasizing the importance of awareness and safety.

• Doctor's Attempted Murder:
  Jack Armstrong narrates the case of Arielle Koenig, a Hawaii woman whose doctor husband allegedly tried to kill her on a hiking trail: “Gerhardt pushed her... attempting to take a selfie... trying to make me fall off” (35:07).

• Implications and Reactions:
  The hosts express concern over the incident, discussing the potential for premeditation given the presence of a syringe and the subsequent actions of the accused: “Unless he was just jabbing her with needles” (36:29).

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Media and Entertainment Commentary

Interspersed with serious discussions, the hosts engage in lighthearted banter about current media trends.

• Beatles Biopic Madness:
  Joe Getty is amused by the news of four separate Beatles biopics, questioning the necessity: “There’s gonna be a Ringo biopic? Like a whole movie about Ringo or...” (33:01).

• Reflection on Cultural Icons:
  The conversation touches on Freddie Mercury’s personal struggles, using it as a segue into broader reflections on fame and identity: “He was married to a woman and pretending he wasn't gay” (33:38).

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Final Thoughts and Looking Ahead

As the episode concludes, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty reflect on the complexities of current events and tease upcoming discussions.

• Complexity of Tariffs:
  Katie admits the intricate nature of tariff policies, likening it to “a machine that's got a thousand different settings” (25:31).

• Upcoming Topics:
  The hosts hint at future segments, including an analysis of Ezra Klein’s perspectives on political worldviews and further exploration of consumer behavior studies related to politics.

• Closing Remarks:
  The episode wraps up with a blend of humor and anticipation for future discussions, ensuring listeners stay engaged and informed.

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Notable Quotes

• Jack Armstrong:
  “April 2, 2025 will go as one of the most important days in modern American history.” (01:23)

• Joe Getty:
  “This is the greatest act of political and policy suicide with stupidity aforethought in modern times.” (27:40)

• Katie:
  “All this other stuff, that's in God's hands.” (03:35)

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Conclusion

The April 2, 2025 episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand offers a deep dive into pivotal issues affecting America's economic policies, ethical considerations in genetics, societal shifts, and the ever-evolving political landscape. Through engaging dialogue and insightful analysis, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of the challenges and complexities of contemporary society.

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For more episodes and updates, visit iHeartPodcasts.

Transcript

[Ritual]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty.

[Joe Getty]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Katie]

And now here's armstrong and getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

April 2, 2025 will go as one of the most important days in modern American history.

[Joe Getty]

That's today.

[Katie]

The president will pick one of two paths. A new flat 20% tariff on all imports or new tariffs that vary and match the tariffs other countries have in place. Right now, you have to trust the President's instincts on the economy.

[Joe Getty]

So there you go. It is liberation day. We've got more on that coming up this hour. Some of the talking points from the administration, some reaction from economists and that sort of thing. And we'll get into that.

[Katie]

And some information on how countries evade tariffs that makes me wonder if you can ever be successful except with a blanket tariff.

[Joe Getty]

Interesting. So I came across this in the New York Times. Thought it was dang good. I was expecting one thing. Got another thing. Should human life be optimized? Was the headline in an opinion piece about the advances in genetic testing. Yeah, Katie, you should be thinking about this because this, this exists. And you, I know you, you and your husband are going to try to get pregnant. Advances in genetic testing and artificial intelligence are changing what's possible for those undergoing ivf. Are we ready for the future of fertility? Asking the question, how much of what your baby is going to be like? Do you want to choose? And the opinion pieces by a woman who was given the choice of determining whether she wanted A boy or a girl. And she and her husband decided we.

[Katie]

We.

[Joe Getty]

We got a girl. We'd kind of like to have a girl, but it just doesn't feel right to choose that. So they didn't. Yeah, but then they have. She's done more research on this, found out that we already can or very soon going to be able to choose things like taller, smarter, happier, in addition to male or female. And isn't that obviously a recipe for disaster for humankind?

[Katie]

Yes. Yes, it is. Katie, any thoughts you want to leap in with now or. Well, I think that's horrifying. I mean, when I discussed that I was going to be doing the genetic testing. It's simply to make sure that my.

[Joe Getty]

Child doesn't have my hereditary disease.

[Katie]

That is different.

[Joe Getty]

Primarily for health.

[Katie]

All this other stuff, that's in God's hands. Yeah. And.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, my. No, it's not. It's in the hands of the Polygenic Corporation.

[Katie]

You know, this was the province of North Korea and China only a few years ago. And everybody else reacted, most sane people, with horror. But here it is among us, as predicted. There you can hold technology back a little bit temporarily, but it will come a calling.

[Joe Getty]

All right, it's clearly a bad idea. I mean, I don't even need to know much about it. It's clearly a bad idea, but China's gonna do it. They'll probably do it exclusively. It'll probably be against the law to have a kid where it's not chosen to be taller, stronger, faster, whatever, smarter.

[Katie]

Right. Nobody would choose a kid who is almost certainly hyperactive and born annoyed because you mentioned happier, blah, blah, blah. No, happy as a pregnant. I never would have been born, and I'm fairly fond of me. You don't become the person you're going to become in a vacuum. It's the. Often the most compassionate people are people who come from violence. I just. I don't. Oh, this is terrible.

[Joe Getty]

Well, listen to this. You'll love this. 2022 survey of Americans found that 4 in 10 said they would use this technology if it would increase the chances of their child getting into a top college.

[Katie]

You know, there are days. I think limited lifespan is a blessing.

[Joe Getty]

Man, you're gonna muck around with nature with under because of the goal of getting your kid into a top college, whatever the hell that means.

[Katie]

Yikes. So they can be more thoroughly indoctrinated into Marxism. This sounds like a recipe for disaster. Yeah, it really. It really does.

[Joe Getty]

This person said, for me, selecting sex felt too overwhelming of a choice and Something we shouldn't do. So they didn't, but quotes the various studies that lots of people would choose oh, this will make my kid more likely to be happy.

[Katie]

Yeah, I get that, but it's misplaced.

[Joe Getty]

God, but every writer, musician, that's all born out of a certain level of unhappiness. All of it.

[Katie]

Well, and a lot of the great civil rights leaders or leaders of overthrowing monarchies or cruel dictatorships in the name of democracy, they've been people who were agitated, they're angry. They weren't mellow as a summer's day.

[Joe Getty]

The last line of this being if this is the future of making babies, perhaps it's one we must confront collectively. I don't know exactly what they mean by that, but I would assume means by as a society we ought to decide do we want this? Do we legally want this or not? But God, we are the third biggest country in the world, but we don't have many babies so we won't have that much impact on the world. Baby in compared to. Well, China doesn't have babies either. But will India do it? Probably India, China, Russia, they'll all do it. North Korea, obviously.

[Katie]

Two thoughts. One from Ed, 22 year listener originally from the Ho San Jose, now a proud Okie living in Oklahoma. How about that? I heard the segment where you guys are talking about procreation. Procreation. The phones are simulating overpopulation. That may be why populations are dropping, reproductive rates, etc. My only issue is that there are plenty of places that are overpopulated and continue to grow. Mumbai for example. What seems to be more of a correlation is that it's always lesser developed countries. My theory is that there is a certain level of boredom required for proper procreation. The advent of the smartphone is ensured that we are never bored. There's limitless entertainment. Couple that with the fact that should you feel amorous, it's effortless. Now to find more attractive thing to you at any time instead of your beautiful girlfriend or wife with no fear of rejection. Porn, he means. I proudly admit I am like many scientists, not that I am one. Really, really intrigued by the question of why reproductive rates fall the way they fall in developed countries. Nobody's really sure.

[Joe Getty]

I think it's a certain level of safety and comfort. I don't know if you're bored, but you're not struggling. Lack of struggle. Maybe that's just lack of struggle.

[Katie]

That might be as simple as it gets and as true as it gets. Second thought, was it Mike Judge who was the creative genius behind Idiocracy?

[Joe Getty]

I think so.

[Katie]

He of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill fame.

[Joe Getty]

I don't remember.

[Katie]

Oh, it is Katie. Thanks. Yeah. Hey, Mike. We don't know each other. Big fan. Big fan. Nice job. You gotta do Idiocracy, but designer baby version where like everybody on earth is.

[Joe Getty]

Tall, good looking and pleasant and exactly the same iq.

[Katie]

Yeah, exactly. And how that just unravels mankind and how we completely lose the ability to innovate and change and do the things we need.

[Joe Getty]

Boy, the problem comes down to. It's like the other day when I. I might have been taking an antibiotic that I didn't need and I said to my doctor friend, well, that's, you know, that's going to kill off mankind. People taking antibiotics they don't need, it's drinking. And he said, you, yeah, you're the one that's going to tip the scales. He said I would go ahead and finish your antibiotic.

[Katie]

Your doctor is far more sarcastic than mine.

[Joe Getty]

Well, he's not my doctor. He's a doctor. He's a friend of mine who made that recommendation. And I think I could see how you'd get that way as a couple. If they say, you know, all we got to do is tweak this here and your kid's going to be, you know, above average height and pleasant demeanor and probably an IQ of, you know, over 110 or something like that. And I would think, yeah, it's bad for humanity, but like China just had.

[Katie]

5,000 of these babies in the last hour.

[Joe Getty]

My one kid isn't going to tip the scales for humanity.

[Katie]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

And I'd like my kid to be tall, smart and good looking.

[Katie]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So be a tough one to say no to.

[Katie]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Dang it.

[Katie]

Of course, you know, my kid was that I'm a half wit troll. So, you know, I'd feel bad about it. People like giving birth to a Ken doll.

[Joe Getty]

I think I'm more concerned about the happy than I am the height and, you know, hair color and sex. The happy. What does that even mean?

[Katie]

I don't know, actually, that I would love to hear somebody explain what that gene is. How does it do it and what do you mean by happy?

[Joe Getty]

What percentage of like people who've been really successful in art business? Name the thing. We're pleasant happy people. In my experience, not that many.

[Katie]

I read a piece the other day. It was a little long and over serious, which makes sense, I guess. Person talking about the concept of happiness and what most people mean by that? And we've talked about this a fair amount, but. And they said no, what you're looking for is to be satisfied. Do work that satisfies you. Hard, tiring, frustrating work that when it's done, gives you a sense of fulfillment. That's what happiness is. Cheerfulness. And the rest of it is transitory and not worth chasing. I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

I've known some cheerful people that never got off their couch and did anything.

[Katie]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I don't know. It's obviously a horrible road for mankind to go down. I think the New York Times point was we're going down it whether we like it or not. Similar to AI Right. We're going down to whether we like it or not.

[Katie]

Right. I was gonna say between that and AI, we're doomed. As a human, absolutely. As a species, rather, we're doomed.

[Joe Getty]

So freaky.

[Katie]

Lily, it's fine.

[Joe Getty]

Do you tune into that radio show where they talk about the we're all doomed, life is going to hell and our best days are behind us?

[Katie]

That's a good radio show.

[Joe Getty]

You should tune in. It's fun.

[Katie]

Well, the one guy thinks beavers are gonna take over the planet and the.

[Joe Getty]

Other guy gets extremely worked up over Val Kilmer.

[Katie]

I'm your huckleberry.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, damn right.

[Katie]

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[Joe Getty]

Sure, it'd be nice if you had Doc Holliday standing out there willing to get into a gunfight with the bad guys. But you don't. So you need the active guard, outdoor protection and no long term contracts or cancellation fees. About a dollar a day. That's pretty amazing.

[Katie]

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[Joe Getty]

Yeah, we'll get into some of the tariff assessments from various smart people. Trump really rolling the dice on this? You know he's been talking about this. We've played the clips going back to letterman in the 80s. He's been talking about this whole tariff thing. It's what he believes Prop maybe more than anything else that, you know, I like hot women and tariffs. Those are his two main beliefs. And he's, he's, he's gonna get to enact it and see how it plays out and see if his theories are correct, I guess.

[Katie]

Yeah. How it's actually implemented is a big mystery right now, as we've discussed between carve outs and Trump's unpredictability. But it will be interesting to watch it unfold.

[Joe Getty]

No doubt he's calling it Liberation Day. We got more on that coming up later this hour.

[Ritual]

Armstrong and Getty, big shout out to you for making it through the hectic holiday season this new year. Get clean quality pregnancy nutrient support off your to do list, including Ritual's best selling Essential Prenatal multivitamin designed with 12 traceable key ingredients to support support a healthy pregnancy. With big changes coming up, take the small steps now and start today with 30% off a three month [e-mail] podcast. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

[Katie]

A bible that was given to O.J. simpson by Robert Kardashian Sr. Recently sold at auction for more than $65,000, even though it's apparently missing the Fifth Commandment 2025. O.J. jokes. Well, you know, I'll permit any shot at O.J. no matter the timing, but okay, so.

[Joe Getty]

That judges race in Wisconsin. The Democrat won by like 10 points. A couple of things on that coming up.

[Katie]

How your brain reacts to buying groceries.

[Joe Getty]

Can reveal your politics or you could just ask me. No, you don't need to look at my grocery cart, you just ask me.

[Katie]

No, how your brain reacts to buying. It's fascinating. Stay with us.

[Joe Getty]

Several things that I hate about this I've been saying for years. 1 I your way into politics. You follow all these off year elections and act like they're a big deal to you. I just, I don't know what your deal is and statistically it's just not true that these are always indicators of what's going to happen. And how about you wait two years and see what happens? It was a referendum on Elon Trump.

[Katie]

Donald Elon Musk, and Trump Musk.

[Joe Getty]

And they're always covered from far away. And you don't have any idea what the candidates were like? Maybe that I don't know. But maybe the Republican was a horrible candidate. You don't know that because you Weren't following the race or watching the ads or listening to his arguments. But there's also this Robby Suave from Reason. We used to have Robbie on on a regular basis. That Libertarian magazine. He said, my God, the liberal derangement over Elon Musk is really something. The Wisconsin election was not a referendum on this, man. Republicans have a low propensity voter problem in off your elections. And all the money in the world can't buy elections. Democrats are always shocked to learn this.

[Katie]

Yeah, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Republicans don't turn out for these kind of elections. Democrats do. So Republicans way more likely to lose these elections. Always just all things being equal, even without you get into the personalities of the candidates. And then I just, I can't keep saying this stuff every two years. It drives me nuts. Or every four years. Almost like gravity. After one party wins the presidency, the other party has a great midterm because of Elon Musk.

[Katie]

I didn't see that one coming, folks. I sucker punched him. Just.

[Joe Getty]

It just happens almost always. It's just part of the way it works for a variety of reasons. And then acting like it's news or surprising or something is odd.

[Katie]

Well, it's a narrative. It's clickbait. So I saw the headline about the Supreme Court deal in Wisconsin and that the Republicans had won both special elections in Florida for Congress. Matt Gaetz seat and Mike Waltz's seat. Is that Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz? Yep. But by slimmer margins than expected. And going up to the election, the word was those are solid red districts. But Republicans and Democrats both agree they are at risk. And so it was less than expected. It was a. The one was a 14 point win. What was expected. I mean if you ever win by 14 points as a party, you will not lose for many, many moons to come, probably generations. So.

[Joe Getty]

And is an off year special election which Republicans don't show up for. We just. They were not built that way. So there you go. This I do think is true. And this was true for Barack Obama who was in a similar situation as Trump. Their. Their unbelievable turnout powers and cult of personality thing doesn't transfer to other elections. They used to talk about that with Obama all the time if he was on the ticket. Huge turnout. This. That he wasn't. So it wasn't. It was him, not his policies. More. And Trump's the same way.

[Katie]

Right, right. The whole coattails deal. All right. Well the media is terrible at their jobs and that's why they're going away. So we've got that wacky Brain study about your groceries and your politics. It's actually kind of interesting and some tariff talk, but not the sort of dry blah, blah, blah you've been hearing everywhere else. We've got some interesting facts behind the facts.

[Joe Getty]

And here's my favorite fact of the day I've come across that will jam in this last minute. Excellent talk about the 50s, 60s being the golden era of everything and everything's gone to crap. And what are you going to do to fix it? U.S. home ownership is one point off the highest it's ever been. In the 50s, it was, well, 1950, it was 52%. In 1960, it was 61%. It's now 65, which is one point off the highest it'S ever been for U.S. homeownership.

[Katie]

Yeah. And homes are three times the size on average.

[Joe Getty]

So does that not fit in with a lot of the prevailing thinking about the world?

[Katie]

Yeah, yeah. Crisis is the greatest marketing for clicks, I'd say never ending crisis.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.

[Joe Getty]

The term I like best probably is the liberation of America. It's a liberation of this country. It's Liberation Day. According to Donald Trump. No longer are we going to be under the boot hill of Canada. Finally, I am somewhat agnostic on this because I don't know how it's going to turn out. Here's ABC News, their version of the whole Liberation Day thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

The nation and the world bracing for what President Trump calls Liberation Day. In less than 24 hours, the President set to reveal tariffs targeting America's trading partners, which could upend the global economy.

[Joe Getty]

They're reciprocal, so whatever they charge us, we charge them.

[Jack Armstrong]

The scale and targets of Trump's tariffs still unclear, but economists warn the cost to American consumers could be steep.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, here's CNN's version of the story.

[Jack Armstrong]

You have businesses, vendors and suppliers having conversations about how to share this tariff. One scenario is that suppliers pick up the entire tab to try to keep business. The second scenario is that they split it between the businesses. 50, 50. And the third scenario is splitting it three ways between the supplier, the business and the consumer. And ultimately, that is what most economists think is going to happen.

[Joe Getty]

Interesting. I hadn't heard many people say that.

[Katie]

Yeah, very good by good, market by market.

[Joe Getty]

So the White House press spokesman said this from the podium yesterday about all this.

[Jack Armstrong]

They will be effective immediately. And the President has been teasing this for quite some time. They're not going to be wrong. It is going to work. And the President has a brilliant team of advisors who have been studying these issues for decades. And we are focused on restoring the Golden Age of America and making America a manufacturing superpower.

[Joe Getty]

I'm all for the Golden Age of America.

[Katie]

Restoring the Golden Age of America. I don't particularly like bull crap from my side either.

[Joe Getty]

Well, that's why I brought up that homeownership thing. I mean, just like, for instance, during that Golden Age, which is often referred to as the golden age, the 50s, homeownership was half. Half of Americans owned a home. Now it's two thirds. So, I mean, that's just one statistic, I realize, but it's not like we're clearly off the rails.

[Katie]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

That leads me to this David Harsanyi, who writes for the examiner. He's one of your conservative writers. He tweeted this out, which I thought was pretty good.

[Katie]

Love, David.

[Joe Getty]

It's something of a mystery why every modern president, Republican or Democrat, Every modern president feels impelled to remake the most prosperous and dominant economy in the world. And it is true. Every administration comes in taking charge of the most dominant economy for the last. How long we been the number one.

[Katie]

Economic power since the 1901. I don't know.

[Joe Getty]

Every president comes in and takes over the most dominant economy in the world and thinks we got to change everything. Yeah, you know, different directions depending on whether you're Republican or Democrat. It's interesting, though.

[Katie]

Yeah, that's an oversimplification, but if you didn't oversimplify any aspect of this, it would take six months to just, like, lay the groundwork for what we're talking about. You know what I mean? Because I'm thinking about, okay, so you have an evil communist superpower dumping cheap goods in your country, putting your people out of work and closing down your factories. That's China. Now, China is not the whole tariff deal, far from it, but it's a big, big trading partner. At the same time, you need to be able to build ships and medicines and the critical things of war, if nothing else. Okay, that's absolutely true. And there are countries that are. They erect huge tariffs, like Europe's tariffs on US Cars and trucks, five times what our tariffs are for theirs until today. And where that goes, nobody knows. At the same time, as you pointed out, as soon as you enact a tariff regime, the carve outs begin and the political favors are granted and the influential Congressman gets a carve out for the, you know, the industry that depends on, you know, sheet aluminum, you know, because they got the big washing machine plant in his district or whatever, and there are hundreds and hundreds, thousands of those Carve outs. And then there are stories about consumer goods that are expensive enough that we don't want to be more expensive because we need them that become more expensive. And it is a tax on imports. Tariffs are a tax. So all of those things are true simultaneously. And every single thing I said was grossly oversimplified. And that was about a fifth of.

[Joe Getty]

What I should have said.

[Katie]

So it's just, it's mind bendingly complicated.

[Joe Getty]

Well, I don't think this is oversimplified. You tell me. Practically every conservative economist is against tariffs.

[Katie]

Yeah, the vast majority. Yeah. Yeah. Although there's.

[Joe Getty]

And that is, that has certainly been the Republican Party's platform forever. My whole life.

[Katie]

Yes, that is true. I think there is a new stripe of conservative that's emerging from these things and that is a middle ground, not a. Globalism is great, let's get it going. Chamber of Commerce, whatever raises profits is good. You can lose your job at the steel plant. You can get a job as a computer programmer. You know, you had that brand of Republicanism for a long time. And I think there's a big part of conservative America that's realizing, oh, y'all got crazy rich and I can get cheap undershirts from China, but my town has gone away. So there's a new reality emerging. It's the post, post World War II reality.

[Joe Getty]

Right. I don't know why I'm not. But for whatever reason, I'm not concerned about this.

[Katie]

Well, I think it's practically ungraspable, which I realize makes us bad talk show hosts. We're supposed to be forcefully advocating one view or another and saying that people who don't adhere to it are idiots and communists. That is true on many topics. This one is just, like I said, it is just mind blowingly complicated. And it's, it's like you're. You've got a machine that's got a thousand different settings and if you tweak say 41 of those settings a little bit, you get a different outcome than if you hadn't. So yikes.

[Joe Getty]

So I thought I would just pass this along.

[Katie]

Mark, get to my real China stuff. I'll get to that in a minute. Sorry.

[Joe Getty]

Mark Halperin, in his newsletter, he always refers to the gang of 500. And what he's talking about is, I mean, that's a made up number. But he's talking about just like the, the movers and shakers in D.C. who are really, they're, they, they're the important people. They're the ones that that run the country. You know, certain House members, certain senators, certain permanent bureaucracy, just, you know, D.C. so he uses that as kind of like just a catch. All of what the Gang of 500 is thinking about this or that.

[Katie]

Interesting. I'd imagine it's giant lobbyists as well, and that sort of folks.

[Joe Getty]

Absolutely. Keeping in mind what you just said, which is certainly true, that a lot of these people really benefited from all this globalization in a way that your hometown did not, and they don't care.

[Katie]

Right.

[Joe Getty]

But the gang of 500, the tariff upsides, are nowhere near what Trump thinks they are. They will not, for instance, help reduce the debt or deficit. And the downsides are significantly greater than the President thinks. We will be lucky to get one of inflation or recession, but we'll probably get stagflation. So we're either gonna get inflation or recession, but probably get stagflation, which we haven't had for many, many years. This is the greatest act of political and policy suicide with stupidity aforethought in modern times. That's what the permanent sort of powerful government DC Crowd thinks.

[Katie]

That's definitely the idea I've gotten from, say, the Wall Street Journal editorial board. Yeah. Two things. If I felt like my fabulous profits from globalism were threatened by this move, that's exactly what I would say. I would say it as loud as I could hammer Congress with that message. That doesn't mean I know it to be false.

[Joe Getty]

Right. Well, it's going to happen, I think, and then we're going to watch and see how it turned out.

[Katie]

I retract point number two. Another day. I thought this was super interesting. I was trying to puzzle out why exactly Trump, who'd blown up NAFTA in favor of the US Mexico deal, whatever that second one was, I thought it was odd that he was, like, saying how incredibly unfair that was and wanting to blow it up again. And I'd appreciated one aspect of it, but not nearly enough, and that is that when the usmca, that's what I'm looking for, was signed and tariffs thrown up against China, China, centrally planned economy, dirty commies. They subsidized an enormous number of giant Chinese factories in Mexico. They just said, all right, we'll move that company into Mexico now, you, uh, Chinese commie, Jim, you're going to run the plant. And he's like, but I. But I. But I. But I. And so they just moved these companies to Mexico, but all the profits are flowing to China. So what does it mean to have a tariff against China if You can just do the, you know, the geographical jig and throw up a factory. And I'm looking at a video of this industrial park that sprang out out of nowhere a hundred miles south of our border. And the giant plants and shipping, what do you call them, the shipping hubs there, where you got 500 semis backed up to the bays. All Chinese.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, really?

[Katie]

Yeah, yeah. It was essentially built by China just.

[Joe Getty]

South in Mexico, 100 miles south of the border.

[Katie]

Wow. Wow. Our date line is.

[Joe Getty]

I would like to see that.

[Katie]

What's the town? I don't know. I don't know. Mexican geography anyway. Really?

[Joe Getty]

But in China is certainly a country that if they gotta pay cartel members to make things happen, they don't care.

[Katie]

Oh, yeah, yeah. We go through our ethics training every year where they teach us, once again, we're not allowed to bribe foreign port officials. Difficult to imagine the scenario in which I'd be tempted to do that, but by God, I never will. I've been taught repeatedly that that's just wrong. Hafusan, one of Mexico's new industrial parks was built on a former cattle ranch, which is around 125 miles south of the border. There are more than 20 Chinese manufacturing firms stretching across land more than twice as big as New York's Central park and representing a combined investment of billion and a half dollars since it opened in 2018. Bright red people's Republic of China flags fly alongside those of the US And Mexico at entrances to manufacturing plants in the industrial complex.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. I used to travel around Mex lot, my car or motorcycle. And years ago, before I had kids, if I'd have come across a giant industrial park with Chinese communist flags, it would have been.

[Katie]

You'd have thought you'd like, become dehydrated and we're hallucinating. And says the chairman, the Mexican chairman of this giant industrial park, we're expecting the arrival of another 20 companies within the next two years with an estimate of $500 million invested. The headline, by the way, in the aforementioned Wall Street Journal is, China's tariff dodging move to Mexico looks doomed. Chinese firms invested billions of dollars in Mexican factories to make products for the American market, shipping goods tariff free under US Trade agreement. But it's all now in peril.

[Joe Getty]

Hmm, interesting.

[Katie]

So that's one of the reasons Trump has been so motivated to change our trade relationship, especially with Mexico. I honestly, I am just so flabbergasted by the complexity of all this. Maybe a uniform tariff is the way to go. If you're going to have tariffs at all.

[Joe Getty]

All I know is, Happy Liberation Day to you and yours.

[Katie]

I see you're in your Uncle Sam outfit.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I probably wear it half the time.

[Katie]

Tailored a while back. I'm just saying the buttons are kind of straining, but anyway. Yeah. So I guess we'll find out how. We'll all find out together how it plays out.

[Joe Getty]

The hat doesn't even fit. My head has gotten fat.

[Katie]

Yeah. Damn, that happens.

[Joe Getty]

We got more in the way. Stay here.

[Katie]

Armstrong and Getty, two quick things for.

[Joe Getty]

You before we get into something newsy.

[Katie]

How your brain reacts to buying groceries can reveal your politics.

[Joe Getty]

Awesome. We got this text. I've been listening since 2010. Jack's reaction to the Top Gun Val Kilmer clip was the funniest thing I've ever heard. So if you weren't listening at the beginning of the show, grab the podcast. This is an advertisement for the podcast Armstrong and Getty on Demand, where you can catch things you didn't hear. I just saw an ad.

[Katie]

Glad you're amused, friend. Can you imagine working with a lunatic like this? It's terrifying. Back to you.

[Joe Getty]

I just saw an ad for a new Beatles biopic. Do we need that?

[Katie]

Yeah. Biopic. There are four of them. Each one focused on a different Beatle.

[Joe Getty]

What?

[Katie]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

You mean there's gonna be a Ringo biopic? Like a whole movie about Ringo or.

[Katie]

A drama or something? I don't. It's like a. Yeah, it's like the Queen movie. Is that a biopic? I guess it is, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

I just watched My Son and I just watched a Queen movie. That was really good.

[Katie]

It's a good movie.

[Joe Getty]

That was fantastic.

[Katie]

Very entertaining.

[Joe Getty]

I didn't know Freddie Mercury pretended not to be gay through that. Most of that whole thing.

[Katie]

Oh, yeah.

[Joe Getty]

I thought the name Queen was always, like, a joke that people didn't pick up on or whatever.

[Katie]

Kind of.

[Joe Getty]

We're all gay.

[Katie]

Oh, they weren't all gay. He was the only one.

[Joe Getty]

That's what I thought.

[Katie]

One. Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

When I was young and he was married to a woman and pretending he wasn't gay through all that fame. That was amazing.

[Katie]

Yeah. And he was kind of ambivalent, too, sexually, I think. Anyway, Seem pretty gay. All right, well, we have our final judgment there. Seemed pretty good, but anyway, there's gonna.

[Joe Getty]

Be four Beatles movies.

[Katie]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Which is at least more than I need.

[Katie]

Yeah, I, I. Yeah, it's fine. I'm a Beatles freak, but I don't particularly need that.

[Joe Getty]

For hour three, Ezra Klein of the New York Times describes the differences between the main difference between Republicans and Democrats as a worldview. And it made my head explode. So we'll get to that.

[Katie]

Now, Ezra Klein.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Katie]

He is a liberal snurdly. Well, right.

[Joe Getty]

And he was defining their point of.

[Katie]

View of the world. I see. Oh, right, right, right. Okay. Yeah. I thought he was like going to do both.

[Joe Getty]

No, just the Democrats.

[Katie]

I have no interest in Ezra Klein's opinion on conservatism.

[Joe Getty]

But we've been following the story of the, the, the doctor who tried to push his wife off the cliff and she survived and he was hitting her head with rocks. Finally she does an interview and when or we we get to hear her side of the story. This is from NBC News. I don't know what number it is. Whatever number that clip is.

[Jack Armstrong]

A Hawaii woman whose doctor husband is accused of attempting to murder her on a popular Oahu hiking trail, sharing chilling new details about the terrifying ordeal in a petition for a restraining order. Arielle Koenig says while attempting to take a selfie with her near the edge of a Cliff, her 46 year old husband Gerhardt pushed her. Trying to make me fall off, she says while fighting back, Gerhardt then grabbed a syringe with an unknown substance and attempted to inject her with it. The 36 year old says she then bit Gerhardt before he began repeatedly hitting her with a rock. She says Gerhardt finally stopped and ran off after two women witnesses appeared on the trail and began shouting and calling 911. According to the restraining order petition, Ariel says she learned that after the altercation, Gerhardt, covered in blood, FaceTimed his adult son, allegedly telling him I just tried to kill Ari, but she got away and that he wanted to kill himself by jumping off a cliff.

[Joe Getty]

What he facetime their son to say.

[Katie]

I just tried to kill mom or his son.

[Joe Getty]

His son.

[Katie]

Yeah. I don't, I don't know what their family structure is, but that's wild. Well, he.

[Joe Getty]

So did he lose his mind?

[Katie]

Unhinged. Did something unspeakable. Realized it. Thought I ought to hurl myself off this cliff.

[Joe Getty]

That would make more sense without the syringe. The syringe which we mentioned last week led me to believe is completely premeditated. The fact that you had a syringe at hand to inject her with something.

[Katie]

Well, right. Even if you're a doctor and you travel with your kit in case you come across a medical emergency, you wouldn't have the syringe all loaded up unless he was just. Well, she says there was an unknown substance trying to inject her. I mean, unless he was just jabbing her with needles. Ay caramba.

[Joe Getty]

And then he facetimes the kid to say, I just tried to kill her. Wow.

[Katie]

So how are you doing? Yeah. Oof.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Poor kid, getting that call.

[Katie]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

Then he hangs up. Okay, I guess I'll just go back about my day.

[Katie]

Yeah. What was I going to do, honey? Oh, that's right. Walk the dog.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, man.

[Katie]

Yeah, so we got that Ezra Klein thing I'm looking forward to. Also, your brain reacting to buying groceries. Study. Really Interesting. It can reveal your political preference. And this is not a joke. And it may make you slightly more charitable toward folks of a different political stripe.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, cool.

[Katie]

They're still wrong as hell, but be nice about it.

[Joe Getty]

Awesome. A lot of good stuff in hour three. Hope we can get you.

[Katie]

Don't throw them off a cliff.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.