Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "It's Called 'Beige Eating.'"

Date: October 28, 2025
Podcast Host: iHeartPodcasts
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty

Episode Overview

In this lively and wide-ranging episode, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty dive into major current events, from global trade deals and US-Asia relations to America’s role in the world. They unpack a viral Matt Taibbi commentary on the American left, analyze the real goals behind government spending, and discuss how to live longer, healthier lives with insights from Dr. Peter Attia. The episode is laced with their trademark wit and skepticism, taking aim at bureaucracy, political theater, and the tendency of government programs to prioritize spending over real solutions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Global Politics: US, China, and Japan Trade Deals

[03:02–15:19]

• Armstrong and Getty break down the US administration’s new framework agreement on fentanyl, tariffs, and China’s pledge to resume buying American agricultural products.
• Discussion of Japan's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaishi, maintaining a $550 billion investment deal with the US.
• Trump’s showman entrance on an aircraft carrier in Asia, setting the tone for diplomatic meetings.
• Analysis of US “spheres of influence” in Asia and historical enmity between Japan and China.
• The delivery of advanced missiles to Japan and its implications for US commitment to Asia.
• The strategic role of Venezuela’s rare earth minerals: Is US engagement a signal to China?
• The perennial “Taiwan Question.” Will the US defend Taiwan if China invades, or is military intervention unlikely? They reference expert panels and military war games suggesting China could take Taiwan with little US resistance.

Notable Quotes:

• “There’s no chance they’re going to invest 10% of their GDP in the United States...They’ll drag their feet. It’s like slave reparations. They’ll form commissions about how to do it and when to do it till the cows come home.”
  — Jack Armstrong [04:58]

• "Trump has reportedly said, if they decide to take Taiwan, they're going to get Taiwan. Nobody’s going to be able to stop them."
  — Joe Getty [09:00]

• “Our appetite for having soldiers die in great numbers is not the same as China’s.”
  — Joe Getty [14:41]

2. Matt Taibbi on the American Left and National Exceptionalism

[19:51–23:37]

• Praise for Matt Taibbi’s takedown of the “limousine prep school elite university angry Lefty crowd.”
• Taibbi’s response to a critic, listing American achievements in science, innovation, culture, and humanitarian action, in contrast to Marxist systems.

Notable Quote:

• "Defeating the Nazis and Imperial Japan. Accepting more refugees from Nazi Germany than any other country. Inventing polio vaccines, chemotherapy, the internet, nuclear power... Free speech, freedom of religion... Mounds bars, Cheerios, and football. But what do I know?"
  — Quoting Matt Taibbi [21:18]

• "If you want to shorten that list, free speech, free press and freedom of religion is a pretty good place to start."
  — Jack Armstrong [22:47]

3. Modern Aging, Longevity & Dr. Peter Attia's Advice

[27:21–36:47]

• Armstrong & Getty reflect on Dr. Peter Attia’s appearance on 60 Minutes about extending high-quality years, not just total lifespan.
• The central idea: At 75, people’s physical and cognitive capacities typically fall to 50%. Attia’s goal is to push that “off a cliff” moment later via strength, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
• Emphasis on training like athletes for advanced age: “Life is a sport.”
• They discuss the ineffectiveness of fad diets and quick fixes, poking fun at extreme biohacking (e.g., infusions abroad with young blood or exotic substances).
• Personal reflections: Joe works out daily, feels 20 years younger than his age, while Jack jokes about future laziness.

Notable Quotes:

• “It's called beige eating. Only eat things that are beige.” (in jest)
  — Joe Getty [28:30]

• “I didn’t hear anything that he said that contradicted things I’ve learned through the years about how to age well... The guy just struck me as a really high-end, extremely thorough personal trainer with a medical background.”
  — Jack Armstrong [31:31]

• “You are an animal. You are a biological being. No different than beavers...Beavers don’t have long, happy retirements.”
  — Jack Armstrong [34:08]

• “I go to the gym every single day. I feel better now than I felt when I was 40. I’m 20 years older than that.”
  — Joe Getty [35:03]

4. Government Spending, the Homelessness Industrial Complex & Mismanagement

[43:00–50:07]

• Jack highlights reporting on LA’s Project Home Key — a taxpayer-funded program to convert hotels into homeless housing. The city grossly overpaid for properties that then sat largely empty.
• The program, enabled by emergency funds during the pandemic, bypassed public scrutiny and competitive bidding, benefiting politically connected developers and real estate firms.
• Comparison to similar failed attempts in other cities (e.g., Torrance), where local officials stopped overblown purchases, only to be accused of being insensitive to homelessness.
• Connection to waste in other government programs, such as post-pandemic universal school meals, resulting in massive food waste.

Notable Quotes:

• “The spending is the point, not fixing your causes that you care about.”
  — Jack Armstrong [47:27]

• “Every wasted dollar is one that could have gone toward mental health treatment, addiction recovery, job training, new housing construction. Instead, those dollars flowed to brokers, bureaucrats, and Blackstone's balance sheet.”
  — Quoting Steve Williams, RedState [48:36]

• “Invent an emergency. Appropriate, just wildly excessive amounts of money, and then accuse anybody who calls you on it of being anti-child or anti-homeless or Islamophobic or whatever else.”
  — Jack Armstrong [49:33]

5. Sports Banter and Cultural Observations

[15:19–17:07], [42:03–43:00]

• Light commentary on baseball (e.g., Shohei Ohtani’s performance, a marathon 18-inning game) and other sports headlines.
• Ongoing jokes about mundane things, like the number of pitches in a game and celebrity players’ hair routines.

Notable Quote:

• “Freaking Shohei Ohtani got on base nine times. He spends more time trying to fix his hair just the way he wants it than most athletes.”
  — Joe Getty [42:45]

Memorable Moments

• Trump’s “WWF-style” arrival on an aircraft carrier — Armstrong and Getty riff on the spectacle and showmanship. [05:33–06:35]
• Beige Eating Joke — Getty invents a “revolutionary” one-color diet as satire. [28:30]
• Taibbi’s tongue-in-cheek defense of America — listing inventions and pop culture as evidence of greatness. [21:18]
• “The spending is the point” — The hosts repeatedly underscore this as the underlying truth of many wasteful government programs. [47:27–50:07]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• US-Asia Politics & Trade: [03:02–15:19]
• Matt Taibbi & Leftist Critique: [19:51–23:37]
• Dr. Peter Attia on Longevity: [27:21–36:47]
• Government Spending & Scandals: [43:00–50:07]
• Banter on Sports & Culture: Various spots (e.g., [15:19–17:07], [42:03–43:00])
• Closing Reflections: [50:07–end]

Tone & Style Notes

• Conversational, sardonic, and skeptical.
• Frequent reference to listeners’ everyday experiences—aging, health fads, government waste.
• Blend of humor, pop culture, and serious political analysis.

For listeners interested in geopolitics, government accountability, and living well longer—delivered with a side of irreverence—this episode is a can’t-miss.