I'm Trying To Anger Everyone

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand Episode: I'm Trying To Anger Everyone
Date: November 20, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty dive deep into America's current economic anxieties, skepticism toward jobs data, AI's impact on the economy via Nvidia, political poll numbers (especially regarding Trump and Biden), historical narratives in modern documentaries, and notable current news stories. The hosts maintain their trademark blend of skepticism, wit, and irreverence, aiming to "anger everyone" by probing all sides of contentious issues. They also include an engaging mailbag segment, playful banter, and commentary on cultural and language shifts.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nvidia’s Dominance & the AI Boom

• Theme: The hosts open by naming Nvidia (the chipmaker) as “General Manager,” focusing on its explosive growth and central role in AI.
  • ("Nvidia, the company, the stock that cannot be stopped" – Joe Getty, 00:57)
• Reports highlight Nvidia’s 60%+ revenue growth amidst AI skepticism.
• Insight: The AI economy may drive current and future GDP, with Armstrong citing, “90% of GDP growth in the United States was AI related” (11:54).
• Speculation: They question if current AI investment is a bubble, noting both the excitement and fear fueling market speculation.
  • “[The AI boom]…is not a bubble. At least not yet.” (Armstrong, 01:05)
  • “If it’s not a bubble, it’s something like a bubble…” (Getty, 11:05)

Notable Quote:
“The critical point here is Nvidia is kind of the choke point of the entire AI boom. Everything runs through or on some type of Nvidia product... There is no indication of [demand slowing].” – Financial Analyst (10:13)

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2. Jobs Numbers: Good News or Bad?

• New jobs data unexpectedly exceeded projections, prompting debate on economic narrative.
  • "Good news, which is bad news." (Armstrong, 01:30)
• The hosts lampoon the reliability and methodology of such data, noting reliance on outdated systems ("They actually send stuff out in the mail, and then people fax back their reports." – Armstrong, 01:54).
• They emphasize that while numbers suggest economic strength (thus delaying interest rate cuts), most individuals ignore these metrics in daily life.

Notable Quote:
“The only thing that is meaningful is this almost certainly means they are not going to lower the interest rates again this year. And if it had been a bad number, they probably would have. So there you go. Adjust accordingly.” – Armstrong (03:20)

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3. Political Developments & Poll Results

• Trump, Powell, and the Fed: Trump’s public frustration with Jerome Powell is noted humorously (“Too late. Too stupid. Like talking to a chair. Jerome Powell,” Armstrong, 03:41).
• Marjorie Taylor Greene & MAGA: The endurance of Greene's following even as Trump signals disfavor is discussed.
  • Getty: “His presumption that because he was the engine of a movement, he will always be the engine of that movement, as opposed to the movement growing up and moving out…” (04:22)
• Memorial for Dick Cheney: Armstrong makes a dark joke about Biden attending Cheney’s service—quickly walking it back (“Let’s get a two for one deal going, huh? …You’re almost there.” Armstrong, 04:46).

Poll Highlights (Fox News Poll Analysis):

• 3/4 of voters view the economy negatively, more so than at the end of Biden’s term.
• Both parties' voters agree: Most basic expenses (utilities, housing, groceries) have increased.
• A record low (39%) favorability for the Democratic Party; Senate Minority Leader Schumer has a 22% approval.
• Trump’s reputation for economic competence is eroding (“Trump is down 38% on the economy. Then that was his rock solid... first term, he's now at 38% on the economy." Armstrong, 29:26).

Notable Quotes:

• “Presidents get more credit or blame for everything that happens to the economy because the predecessor usually, you know, well, put the ingredients in the cake.” – Getty (25:37)
• “I’m trying to have both sides, okay? That’s what I’m trying… Usually I’m trying to anger everyone. That’s what I’m talking about.” – Armstrong (31:05, 31:09)

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4. American History & Documentary Narrative

• Armstrong shares his early review of Ken Burns' new American Revolution docuseries and ponders how the treatment of Native American history will balance fairness and possible “wokeness.”
  • “As Ken Burns… if you ever see him in interviews, he’s like practically woke… but his documentaries have not been. And I’m really interested to see if this… is fair. That is perfectly fair to at least bring that in.” (05:50)
• Getty compares revisionist history to rooting for different animals in nature documentaries, referencing Jerry Seinfeld.

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5. High-profile News Briefs & Cultural Notes (14:01–17:36)

• Epstein Files: Trump signs for their release; skepticism abounds about what will actually be made public.
  • Getty: “If they released every word… the conspiracy theories would still remain… this is just so rich in question marks.” (14:30)
• Nvidia & AI: “Nvidia’s strong results show AI fears are premature.” – Katie Green, Wall Street Journal headline (14:58)
• Toyota CEO and culture wars: Toyota exec is described as “going full MAGA at a NASCAR event” (Katie Green, 15:12).
• Leaf Blower Laws: Outrage in MA over new fines for gas-powered blowers. Armstrong – “What’s the libertarian point of view? … You’re definitely harming other people using those gas leaf blowers.” (15:53)
• Cultural Satire: Babylon Bee headline about Trans Visibility Week, riffed on by hosts (17:23–17:36).

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6. Planes & Public Decorum

• Commentary on Pete Buttigieg’s remarks about dressing up for flights and its relation to in-flight chaos.
  • Armstrong: “...all these fights on planes and the lack of decorum… and it gets to that whole culture conversation...” (18:28)

Getty proposes an airline that's exclusive—not by wealth, but by behavioral standards: “It'd be exclusive to like the top 85%, just not the 15% of America that makes life miserable.” (19:12)

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7. Language, Culture & Mailbag

• The hosts discuss modern pronunciation shifts (e.g., dropping “t” in words like “important”), with listener Steve writing in to lament the trend.
  • Armstrong: “My son says button and kitten and I don’t know where he picked it up.”
• Getty retells a tongue-twister, discussing the idea of language taboos and how even accidental verbal slips could be career-ending in broadcast. (33:03–35:10)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Economic Data:
  “Maybe the question here isn’t the jobs. It’s you, you economists. What are you thinking?” – Getty (01:50)

• On Political Movement Succession:
  “...The movement growing up and moving out and getting its own place, which happens with movements, especially if they feel like the current leadership has not done them right.” – Getty (04:22)

• On Documentary Bias:
  “Are we watching a lion documentary or are we watching an Impala documentary?” – Getty (07:45)

• Epstein Files & Conspiracies:
  “If they released every word... the conspiracy theories would still remain, because this is just so rich in question marks…” – Getty (14:30)

• Cultural Satire Reference:
  “Bearded 64 man in a dress said he needs an awareness week for greater visibility.” – Katie Green quoting The Babylon Bee (17:23)

• On Airline Culture:
  “Would it be possible to get an airline going that you had to apply to fly on?... It'd be exclusive to like the top 85%, just not the 15% of America that makes life miserable.” – Getty (19:12)

• On Voter Frustration:
  “No, it’s just all these people think they’re getting screwed and they're unhappy at the time. They don't follow politics that closely. They just want to boot out who's ever in there and think the next person will be better.” – Armstrong (20:59)

• On Blame and the Economy:
  “Voters say Trump is more responsible for the current economy than Biden and doesn’t make any sense...” – Armstrong (25:37, 26:43)

• Summing Up the Show’s Tone:
  “I’m trying to have both sides, okay? That’s what I’m trying... Usually I’m trying to anger everyone.” – Armstrong (31:05, 31:09)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Nvidia & AI Economy: 00:57–01:16, 10:13–12:09
• Jobs Numbers & Economic Anxiety: 01:13–03:36
• Political Realignment & Polling: 13:37–31:09
• Ken Burns Documentary & History: 05:25–08:09
• Quick News Roundup (Epstein, Culture, Technology, Law): 14:01–17:36
• Planes & Airline Behavior: 18:28–19:49
• Mailbag & Language Discussion: 32:14–36:11

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Tone and Style

The Armstrong & Getty style is irreverent, skeptical, and self-aware. They challenge all political and cultural sides, embrace nuanced skepticism, and incorporate humor, making the episode engaging for listeners who appreciate both information and wit.

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This summary covers all critical topics, memorable exchanges, and specific timestamps to help listeners catch up without hearing the full episode.

Transcript

[Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Show Intro Announcer]

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

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Live from Studio C Senior. We're one week for them from Thanksgiving. Today might be, you know, about time for some of you to take some days off. Welcome to another live presentation of the Armstrong and Getty program before we take a little vacation. And today we're under the tutelage of.

[Joe Getty]

Our general manager, Nvidia, the company, the stock that cannot be stopped.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or more importantly, maybe the AI boom that can't be stopped. Can't be stopped. And it is not a bubble. At least not yet.

[Joe Getty]

Wait a minute. What does that mean?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, nobody knows, but the. The bubble has not burst. So. And then we've got the jobs numbers, just came out a half an hour ago. Bad news. It was good news, as I understand it.

[Joe Getty]

I was afraid that would happen.

[Jack Armstrong]

It was really good news, which is bad news. Came in twice the number they were expecting, double the projected numbers. I'll never understand what that means. Why doesn't that just mean they were bad at projecting what they were going to do?

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Maybe you just made a mistake.

[Joe Getty]

Maybe the question here isn't the jobs. It's you, you economists. What are you thinking?

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, if actually, I did see a guy in News Nation talking about, you know, the way they do this. They actually send stuff out in the mail, the US Mail, and then people fax back their reports. That's how they do this. That's what Trump was complaining about with a couple of the bad jobs reports. Like, the system is so antiquated. Of course, this is. These are good numbers. So he'll probably not complain about the system today, but double the numbers they were expecting, which means they're not going to lower the interest rates in December. So good news means bad news. Whereas if it had been like half what they were expecting, they probably would have lowered interest rates here in the next month, which we all would have.

[Joe Getty]

Liked, keeping in mind that all of these numbers will be revised completely, and they are therefore meaningless.

[Jack Armstrong]

And only two people understand the global economy. And unfortunately, they disagree, as the old joke goes.

[Joe Getty]

I was actually reading about this this morning, and they pointed out that there was a great deal of trouble collecting some of the data during the shutdown. And so we won't have numbers for October, but the 119,000 jobs created in September was surprise given the net 4,000 lost in August. So for some reason, we're that was the revised number from August. So for some reason, we're supposed to believe it went from minus 4,000 to plus 120,000 in a month. And that won't be completely revised again. My attitude was, I'm through here. This is silly.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. I don't make any decisions in my life based on this stuff. The only thing that is meaningful is this almost certainly means they are not going to lower the interest rates again this year. And if it had been a bad number, they probably would have. So there you go. Adjust accordingly.

[Joe Getty]

Trump angry at Jerome Powell, Cussing him out.

[Jack Armstrong]

Too late. Too stupid. Like talking to a chair. Jerome Powell.

[Joe Getty]

All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, God, that's funny.

[Joe Getty]

I was speaking of people Trump has turned on angrily. I was just reading that Marjorie Taylor Greene's district, they're sticking with her hardcore. She's their gal. They're like, yeah, Trump needs to. To cut it out. He's wrong. She's. She's our gal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wasn't that gonna be bad?

[Announcer]

Built, butch body.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's her.

[Joe Getty]

That's her.

[Jack Armstrong]

Isn't that gonna be interesting to watch? As Trump heads out the door of history, whether people. Whether he's MAGA or the people that were MAGA or maga. That. That remains to be seen, I guess, in that district, she's maga.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I would agree. And. And that, I think, kind of answers the question. And it's funny, his presumption that because he was the engine of a movement, he will always be the engine of that movement, as opposed to the movement growing up and moving out and getting its own place, which happens with movements, especially if they feel like the current leadership has not done them right. The Epstein thing, for one speaking.

[Jack Armstrong]

For another speaking of heading out the door, they're having a memorial service for Dick Cheney today. Former vice president and a whole bunch of your former heavyweights are going to be there, including George W. Bush and Joe Biden and I. You know, every time there's a memorial service and Joe Biden's there, I think, let's get a two for one deal going, huh? You just crawl in the box, save everybody a little time. You're almost there. You're almost there.

[Joe Getty]

That's insensitive right there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Is it?

[Joe Getty]

I disavow. I disavow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay. Yeah. Then I apologize for. I take. What. What do you. I take full responsibility. That's.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, okay, then. All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I started to watch the. And I only watched 15 minutes, the new Ken Burns documentary about the American Revolution. I only got 15 minutes and I want to watch it with my son. And he was busy doing homework last night. And it's, I don't know how many episodes. Can you look that up? Somebody looked up, I don't know, it's four episodes, two hours long, eight hours long, something like that, or 10 hours or 12 hours or 20 years long, I have no idea.

[Joe Getty]

Check your local listings.

[Jack Armstrong]

But it's very long and I've only started it. But it was a different wrinkle than anything I've ever seen in which in the first 10 minutes they talk about the Indian tribes that had been here for a very long time when the colonists show up and the way they ran their government and the way we were running our government and everything like that. And I'm going to be interested to see as I get into it, as Ken Burns, the documentary maker, if you ever see him in interviews, he's like practically woke. I mean, he's not just a lefty, he's way out there. But his documentaries have not been. And I'm really interested to see if, if this I think is fair and you know, that is perfectly fair to at least bring that in. I'll be interested to see how they treat it. Like I said there, there, there could very easily be a tipping point where I think, okay, now I'm not doing this, but right the way we've portrayed it, that's why Columbus Day has been so stupid. It's like I, I was basically Todd Columbus showed up to an empty, empty country with like six Indians here and they were all super happy he showed up. And that's pretty much the way it was thought. And the American, American Revolution, the same thing. And as the Americans expanded westward in the Monroe Doctrine and you know, not a lot of mention of the, the, the 10,000 year history and hundreds of thousands, billions of people that already lived here and how that whole thing was.

[Joe Getty]

Going to work out.

[Jack Armstrong]

And that's perfectly reasonable to have that be part of the story.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I'd say so. It sounds like my education may have been in that department. A little more nuanced anyway than yours, a little more balanced. But it's, I'm reminded of the Jerry Seinfeld bit, which was so good about if you're watching a nature documentary, you always root for the animal that they're doing the documentary about. And if you're watching a documentary about lions, you're saying, you know, catch that impala, catch it, eat it, you got to feed your cubs. And then, you know, if you're watching an impala, Documentary. It's Run Impala, get away from the lion.

[Jack Armstrong]

Run so you can take care of your kids.

[Joe Getty]

And the problem with a lot of modern Howard Zinn, Marxist, woke American history is that they're not telling the history of the United States. They're telling the history of everyone else who may have been bruised by the United States or even perhaps killed. So, you know, you can include that. But are we watching a lion documentary or are we watching an Impala documentary?

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what I'll be watching out for, I guess. I can't wait to get further into it. Yes.

[Katie Green]

Six episodes that are two hours apiece.

[Jack Armstrong]

So 12 hours of it, which, you know, good. I want to. In depth. They got a little Ben Franklin going last night. Really enjoyed that. I always like, you know, Ben.

[Joe Getty]

Old Dr. Ben. Good man. Oh, I heard.

[Jack Armstrong]

I heard a Thomas Jefferson quote the other day.

[Joe Getty]

This just popped the ladies, too. Dr. Van. Did he know Epstein?

[Jack Armstrong]

That may not be.

[Joe Getty]

At least the files.

[Jack Armstrong]

That may not be true. I understand that whole he loved the ladies thing. It was a story that somebody started that just may not be true whatsoever. But no time for that now. We got to start the show officially, because this is an interesting angle also. And then, holy freaking crap, there is some Epstein stuff.

[Joe Getty]

No.

[Jack Armstrong]

How could that possibly be?

[Joe Getty]

Boy.

[Jack Armstrong]

Larry Summers stepped down now from his teaching job at Harvard as more people looked at the emails and thought, you know, and I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if I have a problem with Harvard or whoever putting pressure on him. Come on. You're like an old man trying to sex up one of your people you're mentoring. I don't think we need you around here.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah. It's not like he was looking for, you know, he was a single guy and said, hey, I met a really great lady and I want to impress her. Where's a great restaurant? No, he's like, hey, I got this student here. There.

[Jack Armstrong]

She's pretty hot.

[Joe Getty]

How do I come on to her from a sex pig?

[Jack Armstrong]

Specifically talking about how do I get her in bed? And I asked her for drinks, and she said no. What do I. What should I do next? I mean, going back and forth to. To Epstein for advice on that. You don't need that guy on your campus.

[Joe Getty]

Epstein replied, what grade is she in?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, yeah. Larry Summers has this episode, and he has as. He's pretty much done with public life completely, man. His life changed in the last two weeks. Yeah. Anyway, I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty on this it is a Thursday, November 20th, week before Thanksgiving, the year 2025. We're Armstrong and getting. We approve of this program.

[Joe Getty]

Okay, let's begin then. Officially, according to FCC rules and regulations. Here we go. At mark.

[Financial Analyst]

The critical point here is Nvidia is kind of the choke point of the entire AI boom. Everything runs through or on some type of Nvidia product, which means this isn't just about one company. This is about the entire space. This would be a leading indicator if demand was starting to drop, if the build out needed to slow up a little bit. There is no indication of that in this report. And so for the broader markets, this is very good news.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, Nvidia came in what, like 60% growth or something? Or revenue growth, which just, yeah, enormous. This is was after several days of the tech stocks being down, which really drive everything now, as they pointed out there. And people worried that the air had come out of the AI bubble. But that revenue return means the air is still in the bubble. Whether it's a bubble or not. Maybe it's real.

[Joe Getty]

Exactly. I think it's. If it's not a bubble, it's something like a bubble because the companies that we're talking about buying the Nvidia chips are pledged to spend just incomprehensible amounts of money going forward, even more than they've spent this year, for instance. And the question for the market, the stock market, is do we have faith that these will be good investments? That's the one question. Because the stock market is two things. It's investing in companies and it's also just wild speculation. Will this stock be worth as much or more tomorrow? And so everybody's looking at everybody else saying, good God, we're spending a lot of money. Is this going to be worth it? As soon as a bunch of people say maybe not, the stock collapses, which might not indicate anything about the wisdom of investing that money in AI. As I said, it's. There are two different dynamics going here.

[Jack Armstrong]

I saw the stat yesterday and I don't remember if it was for 23 or 24, but it doesn't make any difference that 90% of GDP growth in the United States was AI related. 90%, that's amazing.

[Joe Getty]

And most of that investment and not like revenue, right? Well, it's revenue from each other all chasing the same goal, which remains, you know, distant.

[Jack Armstrong]

Got some recent quotes from Elon Musk on what he thinks the world is going to look like when AGI gets going.

[Joe Getty]

I take it it wasn't cheery and inspiring.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it is for him. I don't know if human beings can handle that much change that fast because it's going to happen like in the next couple of years. But we got Katie's headlines on the way. We got lots of news to get to today. A new peace plan for Russia and Ukraine being floated. That sounds like the Russians drew it up and Zelinsky has no interest in it. Among other things to talk about. Stay here.

[Show Intro Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Announcer]

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[Jack Armstrong]

I need to use the word robust more often. It's only used in economic terms. Robust job numbers out today. And I don't ever throw that word around. Out.

[Joe Getty]

That is a good word.

[Jack Armstrong]

Feeling pretty robust today. You know who not robust, at least in terms of the latest Fox poll, people's attitudes about Donald Trump. We'll have to get into that soon. That was a pretty rough poll that came out yesterday, especially around his, what used to be his top issue, the economy. So we'll get into that.

[Joe Getty]

Interesting. All right, so much to talk about today. Let's figure out who's reporting what. It's lead story with Katie Green. Katie.

[Katie Green]

All right, we got some of the Alphabet reporting on the Epstein thing and also some other outlets. New York Times, Trump approves the release of the Epstein files, but loopholes remain.

[Joe Getty]

Cnn Washington Post. Oh, go ahead, go ahead, finish up.

[Katie Green]

Cnn how Trump reversed course on the Epstein files as his administration faces lingering suspicion about their release. And then the Washington Post, Trump signs bill to release Epstein files. But doubt remains in the process.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it became clear to me. I happened to read that one in the Washington Post. If they released every word, keep in mind every single word of this, the conspiracy theories would still remain because this is just so rich in question marks, the whole thing. But there are giant loopholes to what they're going to release. There could be reams and reams of stuff that is held back for legal and ethical reasons.

[Jack Armstrong]

There's going to be tremendous public political pressure to release the stuff or to un redact it.

[Joe Getty]

Right.

[Katie Green]

From the Wall Street Journal, Nvidia's strong results show AI fears are premature.

[Jack Armstrong]

We'll see.

[Joe Getty]

Depends which fears you're talking about.

[Katie Green]

And thinking of all those people who said they were going to trade their Teslas in for a Prius. From Fox Business. Toyota CEO goes full maga at red, white and blue NASCAR event in Japan.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, really look forward to getting flipped off in your Prius. Just like I get flipped off in my cyber truck every day.

[Joe Getty]

Oh.

[Katie Green]

From the Daily Mail. Fury as new upkeep law in Massachusetts will fine homeowners $200 for using gas powered leaf blowers.

[Joe Getty]

Don't appreciate the infringement on freedom and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yet that's a tough one.

[Joe Getty]

Bane of my existence, the leaf blower.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, you know what's the libertarian point of view? You can do whatever you want as long as you're not harming anybody else. You're definitely harming other people using those gas leaf blowers.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, it's funny that we as a society recognize fully, I think an eyesore, something that's ugly and terrible, but something that offends the ears. We. We put up with too much. I think I've got a battery powered one. Does fine or get a rake.

[Jack Armstrong]

Get a freaking rake. Sunday morning, seven o', clock, birds tweeting. Beautiful day in that next door.

[Joe Getty]

What? I can't hear you.

[Katie Green]

Oh, that is unpleasant.

[Joe Getty]

Joe.

[Katie Green]

Now you're just showing off. USA Today 18 karat gold toilet dubbed America fetches 12.1 million at auction.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. Yep, it's in my guest bathroom. Swing on by.

[Jack Armstrong]

You can use it.

[Joe Getty]

Using it to me is the greatest. It's performance art.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh my God. To squat on that and scroll through my phone for a half an hour.

[Joe Getty]

You feel like a king. Trust me.

[Katie Green]

Me from from study finds pig kidney functions normally in brain dead human for record 61 days.

[Jack Armstrong]

First of all, we are playing Thanksgiving night after your big meal, come out and see pig kidney. Secondly, that's a pretty good. That's a pretty good run for the guy with the pig kidney, huh?

[Joe Getty]

Okay.

[Katie Green]

And finally, The Babylon Bee bearded 64 man in a dress said he needs an awareness week for greater visibility. That's because it's trans visibility week this week. You didn't know?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, almost one of the 57 weeks a year that are set aside for LGBTQ minus +IA over the power of four.

[Jack Armstrong]

They're probably mentioning it in the public school. Yeah, the Fox poll that came out yesterday, getting a lot of attention partially because it's Fox is a really good polling organization. They don't seem to push the numbers either direction. But the fact that it's Fox and they're not good for Trump is getting a lot of attention. We can hit you with a couple of those numbers.

[Show Intro Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Guest Commentator]

We'll get this. A new ranking of the top global airlines was just released, and not a single US carrier made the top 10. Luckily, no one flying on a US airline will hear this news because their seat screens don't work and the wi fi costs $30. Well, this is true. Spirit Airlines ranked 115th, which is really nuts because there's only 83 airlines total.

[Jack Armstrong]

So I want to talk a little bit about flying later, as the Secretary of Transportation came out yesterday and said some things, and as they were presented by the mainstream media, of course, they have to present everything. And the Trump administration is stupid and hilarious. He talked about people dressing up more to fly in planes. I thought that is kind of a weird thing to say. But then I heard it in context, which I thought was really interesting. And that was regarding the topic of, like, all these fights on planes and the lack of decorum that we've started having in airports and on planes. And it gets to that whole culture conversation that I brought up on the One More Thing podcast with Elvis and the Beatles and long hair. Anyway, I want to talk about that again later.

[Joe Getty]

Interesting. Would it be possible to get an airline going that you had to apply to fly on? And it wouldn't be like a really high bar, but if you were just a jackass or you ever, you know, pulled, you know, wacky behavior, you'd be off the list. It'd be like a private club, an airline club. But we wouldn't get, like. It wouldn't be exclusive to, like, the top 2%. It'd be exclusive to, like, the top 85%, just not the 15% of America that makes life miserable.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or maybe in 98%. I mean, the percentage of people that are ever gonna freaking fight, throw punches, or start screaming at you in a plane has got to be pretty damn small, right?

[Joe Getty]

I'm telling you, I'm gonna get that started. How much does a plane cost? I gotta buy a bunch of planes. First step.

[Jack Armstrong]

This Fox poll that's out is getting a lot of attention. And more. The more I dug into it, it should be getting a lot of attention. This is some. I was gonna say it's bad news for Trump. It is, because he's in office currently. But what it says, the overall takeaway for me, as I read it, is we got a very big chunk of America that is unhappy with their economic situation or the economic situation of the country. And they were unhappy under Obama at the end. They're feeling better under Trump first term, but still kind of unhappy. Really unhappy under Biden and really unhappy under Trump again. And so it's just our politics are gonna swing back and forth like crazy. And each election, pundits who make their living trying to figure out the electorate say the Democrats have gotten back the Hispanic vote and the young, uneducated white male. And then when the other party wins and Trump wins, it's, ah, Trump has figured out how to talk to the high school graduate.

[Joe Getty]

White, working.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, it's just all these people think they're getting screwed and they're unhappy at the time. They don't follow politics that closely. They just want to boot out who's ever in there and think the next person will be better. I think that's it.

[Joe Getty]

There's a lot of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Currently, three quarters of voters view the economy negatively. That's worse than the 70% that said the same at the end of Biden's term. That might be the only number you need to talk about. So at the end of Biden's first term, when he got heaved out because Trump's economy was so good, you know, first term, 70% had a negative view of the economy. It's now 76%.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I think Trump may be getting hosed on that. And I based that partly on a piece I read by Larry Kudlow. He was talking about how since.

[Jack Armstrong]

Trump.

[Joe Getty]

Has been in office for eight months now and the inflation of groceries during his tenure.

[Jack Armstrong]

You need to say that again. That is an excellent point. How do we all forget that every single day?

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, it's just eight months or so.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're three years into the Trump term. No, we haven't.

[Joe Getty]

Eight months of Consumer Price Index Reports, I should say.

[Jack Armstrong]

We just started Trump's term.

[Joe Getty]

I know, I know, I know. It's amazing. But. And the, the increase in the price of groceries, the inflation of groceries has actually been very, very modest. The cumulative grocery price jump is 1.4%. And Kudlow says he has nothing to apologize for. His point being that the terrible inflation of the Biden years, you've phrased it as people still haven't gotten used to seeing those prices on items. The other reality is, though wages have increased significantly, they haven't increased nearly enough to eat up all of the inflation and prices. And so people are still getting abused by the prices they see every single day. And they've actually gone up a tiny, a teeny Tiny bit since Trump took office, which is not surprising, but partly because Trump promised he would lower prices and on a few groceries they have lowered, but most is just arresting the rise in prices or just letting them rise a little bit. I think people are. People expected much more than they could reasonably expect to get, partially because they.

[Jack Armstrong]

Were told unreasonable things.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, that's true. That. Well, that's American elections.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, no doubt about it. Well, since you brought that up, we'll get into the specifics on what people feel about these things. Compared to a year ago. Voters say they're. 78% of voters say their utilities have gone up. Two thirds say their health care has gone up. Two thirds say their housing has gone up. Over half say their gasoline is higher. 85% say their grocery prices are higher, including 60% who say they're in groceries have gone up a lot. 85% say the grocery prices are more expensive under Trump than they were before, and 60% say a lot. That's, that's a bad political environment for you. Whether it's fair or not, that doesn't really factor in unless you can get out there and message in such a way that you convince people it's not your fault.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. By the way, you better message aggressively. I mean, because for one thing, people are coming to the annual renewal of various things. Their homeowners insurance, their car insurance, their health care plan, their, their rent, their lease, whatever. And the Biden inflation hadn't hit them in a long time in those categories and now they're getting punched in the stomach.

[Jack Armstrong]

By the way, because we usually break down the polls Republican and Democrat, because sometimes the number for Democrats can be 98% and for Republicans it's 2% and you average it out to 50. And what does that tell you about anything? But on this particular topic that I just hit you with all those numbers, it was majorities of Republicans that agree with the majorities of Democrats on all of those numbers, except for gas. All the other numbers. Oh, it's majority of Republicans say, yeah, it's gotten more expensive. How about this number? At the end of Biden's term, voters said by a 30 point margin that his policies had done more to hurt than help their families. I remember we talked about that a lot.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

The new survey shows almost identical results, 31 point margin that Trump's economic policies have hurt rather than help them. Wow.

[Joe Getty]

Wow. You know, one more excuse for Trump. He's got the entirety of the media against him, but that is electorally disastrous.

[Jack Armstrong]

By a 2 to 1 margin. Voters say Trump is more responsible for the current economy than Biden and doesn't make any sense. Obviously, since Trump is such, you know, you got to bake the cake of the economy. It takes a long time to steer the giant aircraft carrier of the economy. It turns very slowly. But the old saying is so true. Presidents get more credit or blame for everything that happens to the economy because the predecessor usually, you know, well, put the ingredients in the cake well, and.

[Joe Getty]

We'Re talking about the percentage of the economy, or how do I phrase this exactly, that the president and the federal government can affect it all because your state is really important to the economy, its laws and regulations, not to mention, hello, market forces. Yeah, we shouldn't be talking about the government much at all when we're talking about the economy. It's way over involved in the economy. So the idea that the President can wave a magic fiscal wand and turn things around is just a fantasy. It's been, you know, sold by both parties for a long time. So I get why people are fooled by it, but it's ridiculous.

[Jack Armstrong]

Again, it's 2 to 1. Voters say Trump is more responsible for the current economy than Biden. And like 80% of people say the economy for them is bad. It's 62 to 32. So those are some tough numbers.

[Joe Getty]

Inflation is high or has been high. Nothing else matters.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is so flipping true. And you see it every day. I know. That's the way it wears on me, even if it's a small thing, you know, I got. And then I end up spending $28. But if I thought it was going to be 16 and it's 28, it just puts in my mind a feeling of, damn, things are expensive.

[Joe Getty]

Right. And if under the next guy's watch it goes up to 29, you're not thinking, well, as an annualized rate, that's actually fairly modest. No, you're thinking, holy crap, that's expensive. And it compounds inflation, like interest compounds. You know, it's funny, and I've got all sorts of stuff on inflation I want to talk about later just because I think it's important people understand it. That's like the number one reason you ought to be in favor of serious fiscal responsibility in the government is the insidious hidden tax of inflation. But what was I going to say? I had a point there? Oh, that's right. So the way they get you so enthusiastic about saving, or they used to anyway, is they point out that, look, if you make 5% interest the next year, you're not Making, you know, you're not getting 5% of a dollar. You're getting 5% of a dollar five, which turns into, you know, after a couple years, it's A$6. And it grows and it compounds. Well, inflation's the same thing. 2% of A$6 is more than 2% of A dollar.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

So it keeps compounding and eating away at your buying power. So here's where I turn cynical libertarian. So the government can print money and hand it out to their cronies and. Or buy your votes, even though it's incredibly ill advised to print that money.

[Jack Armstrong]

Before we take a break and get to Mailbag, I'll hit you with a couple of numbers that are bad for the Democrats just to, you know, throw that out.

[Joe Getty]

There you go. Give them one or two. Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

A record low 39% have a favorable view of the Democratic Party. That's the lowest they've ever had.

[Joe Getty]

Probably because they're so terrible.

[Show Intro Announcer]

Senate, everyone knows it.

[Joe Getty]

Yes, Your lips to God's ears.

[Jack Armstrong]

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has a 22% approval rating.

[Joe Getty]

Who are you? 22%. What are your standards? What. What would a bad leader of the minority party in the Senate look like and do?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, but really the overall headline is Trump is down 38% on the economy. Then that was his rock solid. You know, even if you hated Trump, you believed him on the economy. First term, he's now at 38% on the economy. That's a big deal.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah. The piece I was reading, I can't remember where, about Marjorie Taylor Greene and big meeting of the Republican Party in her district and how it became clear that the vast bulk of the folks were with Margie as opposed to Trump in the areas where they disagreed. And there was a fair current of. Trump seems more interested in the world. Marjorie is more about the people of her district than the people in this part of the country. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, Trump, yesterday, I heard him talking about the stock market records. And Marjorie Taylor Greene is probably talking about the price of, you know, lettuce or whatever, $27. To a whole bunch of. To a whole bunch of voters that never, ever think about stock market ever. Not on the radar at all.

[Joe Getty]

Right, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Joe Getty]

It's the first signs of out of touch billionaire we've seen a handful of times in recent days.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Announcer]

Or.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or the signs of. We got a really angry proletariat that probably ought to be educated on bigger picture stuff and have a better understanding of the way the world works. Maybe both. Both. Oh, Joe throws out of both, you.

[Joe Getty]

Just made the case that people who never even think about the stock market because they got no money in it, you know, they have the right to be mad. Which side of this are you working? You jumping back and forth like some sort of frog or flea or some jumping thing?

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm trying to have both sides, okay? That's what I'm trying.

[Joe Getty]

Well, you never lose an argument that way.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or it's the other way. Usually. I'm trying to anger everyone. That's what I'm talking about.

[Joe Getty]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

We got Mailbag on the way and lots of other stuff to talk about. Stay here.

[Show Intro Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good God, the lunchroom. Microwaves smells disgusting. Do people bring their garbage to work and heat it up for some reason? Why would you eat up your garbage?

[Joe Getty]

That would be odd behavior, no doubt. Sure smells like it at the Radio Ranch. It would not shock me. Oh, speaking of shocking. Coming up during Mailbag, the world's most dangerous tongue twister. Stay with us. But first, your freedom quote of the day. This was sent along by. Oh, man, I don't have the name in front of me. Thanks for sending it, though. Speaking of Ben Franklin, this is from the good Dr. Ben Franklin, 1774. And I want you to think not of the nation, but of state government as I read this. The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation to the prejudice and oppression of another is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges and advantages is what every part is entitled to and ought to enjoy. Long annoyed me. The domination of state politics in a number of different states I could name by the. The populous blue cities. And they just don't give a damn what all the other people out there were just outnumbered in many cases. Anyway, Mailbag, drop us a note. [e-mail] Nice note here from Kurt, who mentions his family's been enjoying tongue twisters. Many hours of laughter, giggling, snorting, snortling and chortling. After looking these up and trying to send. Going back to the segment we did years ago with my son, the articulation exercises for actors.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, okay. I kind of remember that.

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I do too. I remember it being really fun. Maybe we ought to dig that up. Anyway, here it is, the world's most dangerous tongue twister. And I will do my best.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sandbag.

[Joe Getty]

I can't decide if the music's a good idea or not. Michael, it's very important I not be distracted. All right, Here we go, Mrs. Puggy Wuggy. Has a square cut punt. Not a punt cut square, just a square.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hold on, wait a second. You frightened me. You frightened me. You sure this is a good idea?

[Joe Getty]

I gotta get all the way through it. All right, Go slow. No, no, that's not. That would be cheating.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, but it was stank here. Could be the end of our career.

[Joe Getty]

I'm still paying for my car. I have a house payment. You know, it's funny, I was gonna bring that up in the context of this. This tongue twister. Let me finish it, then we'll talk about it. Mrs. Puggy Wuggy has a square cut punt. Not a punt cut square. Just a square cut punt. It's round in the stern and blunt in the front. Mrs. Puggy Wuggy has a square cut punt. There you go. Got through it. And it actually is a really good articulation exercise. My tongue feels different. It is a mark of how silly the concept of an obscenity is that if you accidentally were to make that noise with your mouth, that was treated as if you've expressed the thought.

[Jack Armstrong]

That was a cunning stunt. No doubt.

[Joe Getty]

Right, exactly. Krtp. Keep riding that punt. Kurt and his family in beautiful San Jose, California.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right.

[Joe Getty]

He thought of that because I mentioned that Judy and I wrote a punt in Cambridge, England. Well, right.

[Jack Armstrong]

If you were doing a tongue twister, that was. She had a nice figure and the figure was nice. And dada. And you accidentally got the letters mixed up. You would. And it would end your career. Even if you had no intention whatsoever to say it.

[Joe Getty]

Well, you shouldn't even done that tongue twister. It's dangerous.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or it came out a little too easy. You're used to saying that. That has happened many times.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, yeah, A picture, a tongue twister with a bunch of ends and the word bigger. I mean, for instance. I'm not doing that one. Anyway, speaking of speaking Steve in. I'll get to sign off in a second. He says, fellas, when I heard your comments on people dropping their teas in speech these days, I had to shout Amen. I'd actually posted to X a week or so ago lamenting that very subject. The practice seems to have its advent in modern ebonics, which become became popularized in 1996 in Oakland in the school district. But the thing that caused me to post was actually Caroline Levitt, the press secretary at the White House, constantly pronouncing important, as important as in the president finds this very important.

[Jack Armstrong]

I give up, like my son says.

[Joe Getty]

Signed Steve in North Carolina.

[Jack Armstrong]

My son says button and kitten and I don't know where he picked it up. He's done it, like, his whole life.

[Joe Getty]

How would you like to be hitting?

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know where culturally he picked it up, but it seems to be a thing with young people. At least according to TikTok.

[Joe Getty]

Oh, please stop.

[Jack Armstrong]

We got a lot more on the way. Stay here.

[Show Intro Announcer]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Announcer]

This is an iHeart podcast.