Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: "Some Troubling Numbers"
Date: September 8, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts

Brief Overview

This episode centers on America’s escalating debt crisis, the politics and spectacle around immigration enforcement in Chicago, recent escalations in Ukraine and Venezuela, and signature Armstrong & Getty banter on current events, culture, and sports. The episode’s driving theme is "buy now, pay later" – both literally, as a troubling consumer debt trend, and metaphorically regarding social and political decision-making.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Buy Now, Pay Later: Debt Crisis on the Horizon

[01:44], [22:36]–[26:19]

• The principal concern of the show: America’s mounting consumer and governmental debt.
• Joe Getty highlights, "Americans are up to their eyeballs in debt, unlike any period except the great crash of 2008. Really? But for no apparent reason." [01:44]
• Discussion of Alicia Finley’s Wall Street Journal article that points to serious credit card and auto loan delinquencies now rivaling post-2008 levels.
  • “Serious credit card and auto loan delinquencies have climbed to the level of the 2008–09 recession.” — Joe Getty [22:55]
  • Armstrong and Getty express their personal unease and generational differences about debt culture.
• The pair note that "buy now, pay later" options are now mainstream — from concert tickets and vacations to groceries.
• Important stats:
  • A recent survey found that “about half of consumers have used a buy now, pay later service.” — Joe Getty [26:08]
  • The percentage of mortgage holders with risky debt-to-income ratios has surged from 28% in 2012 to 69% in 2024. [28:12]–[28:39]

2. Chicago, ICE, and the ‘Shipocalypse’

[02:00], [06:07], [21:06–22:06]

• Ongoing political spectacle of Trump's immigration policies and the threat of military or ICE interventions in Chicago.
• Memes and social media “Shipocalypse” references.
• Jack Armstrong on sensationalist politics: “The theme seems to be that the Trump Vance administration thinks that enough people just kind of pay attention to the news that all they’ll hear is I love the smell of deportations in the morning and I don’t give an S about killing drug dealers. …And that is a win.” [10:22]
• News update: surge in ICE activity in Chicago, but likely no National Guard deployment — unless protests turn violent and provide a “pretext.” [21:06–22:06]

3. Trump Assassination Attempt Trial

[03:48]–[05:38]

• Discussion of the bizarre trial of a man accused of a second assassination attempt on Trump.
  • Jack Armstrong details his odd demands: “His demands to the court were, I need strippers, I need a putting green… And he challenged the President to an 18-hole golf match… if he loses, the President gets to execute him, but if he wins, he gets the President’s job.” [04:34]
• Armstrong and Getty riff on the circus-like nature of the case, and the challenges of letting a mentally unstable defendant represent himself.

4. World Affairs: Ukraine and Venezuela

[07:07], [08:07], [33:42–34:29]

• Largest Russian attack on Ukraine yet, and faltering peace talks. Trump’s administration vows some kind of response but details are unclear.
• Speculation about simultaneous future U.S. conflicts: “When, you know, commentators, including myself, were discussing our ability to take on a two front war, I don’t think the fronts we were thinking about were Ukraine and Venezuela.” — Jack Armstrong [08:07]
• Ian Bremmer’s tweet predicting U.S. escalation against Venezuela. Discussion of recent U.S. military maneuvers in Puerto Rico.

5. Senate Debate over Drug Interdiction

[08:19–10:22]

• J.D. Vance and Rand Paul publicly spar over the military’s extrajudicial killing of alleged drug dealers on a boat.
  • Vance remarked, “I don’t give an S. …That was the highest use of our military.” [08:30]
  • Rand Paul called this “an awful thing to say.” — Jack Armstrong [08:28]
• Armstrong and Getty note the political incentives for tough-on-crime rhetoric: “I just wish we were at a little higher level of ‘we have full confidence the military did a legal [strike].’” — Jack Armstrong [09:34]

6. Sports Break: NFL Kickoff & the Power of Football

[11:18–13:14]

• Spirited recap of the “game of the season” between the Ravens and Bills, underlining how meaningful early-season NFL games feel to fans.

7. Headlines & Media Notes

[15:47–19:00]

• Notable headlines include:
  • The Armstrong & Getty subreddit being banned (speculation: possible “hate speech” or unruly posters). [15:50]
  • Gavin Newsom’s “Predator Patio” jab at Trump. [17:04]
  • Carlos Acutis becomes the first millennial saint, dubbed “God’s influencer.” [17:43]
  • Satirical “renaming” of federal agencies by the Babylon Bee — e.g., Social Security to “Charles Ponzi Memorial Retirement Plan.” [19:31], [27:16]

8. America’s Urban Problems: Chicago vs. LA, Portland’s Decline

[22:06–22:19], [37:16–41:22]

• Chicago’s unique challenges are contrasted with LA.
  • Joe Getty jabs: “I would think the people of Chicago would be more concerned with the fact that their mayor has an IQ of 71. And you want to talk about a crisis.” [06:57]
• Listener mail and the hosts’ takes on Portland’s struggles: how progressive city governments and “stand down” policing have enabled public disorder, homelessness, and business closures. [37:16–41:22]

9. Consumer & Parenting Anecdotes

[29:32–32:05]

• Humorous discussions about kids, debt, and life lessons.
  • Jack Armstrong: “Christmas might just be here. I’ve wiped off half your debt. Merry Christmas. That would be a lesson in how that whole thing works.” [25:36]
• Jack’s story about his son’s overuse of cologne to “fix” a bad smell: “Now the entire house smells like high school boy cologne. …It smells like you’re on a date with four high school sophomore boys right now." [31:32]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the debt crisis:

  • "The brilliant thing about a financial crash: It includes virtually everybody in misery." — Joe Getty [22:59]
  • "You have to pay for debt later…with interest." — Joe Getty, wryly [24:05]

• On performative politics:

  • "I love the smell of deportations in the morning." — Jack Armstrong, referencing the Trump meme [02:45]
  • “If I was Joe Six Pack…I’d think, great, good. Finally we’re doing something about the border and you got these fricking drug cartels which are scary, and Trump snuffing them. Hooray.” — Joe Getty [10:41]

• On Portland’s decline:

  • "It’s the loudest, angriest, in Portland most violent, young, completely unmoored from reality dreamers and antifa types that drive governance." — Joe Getty [41:06]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:44 — U.S. debt levels compared to 2008 crash
• 03:48–05:38 — Bizarre Trump assassination trial updates
• 06:07–07:07 — Will Trump send National Guard to Chicago?
• 07:07–08:07 — Ukraine, Russia, and Venezuela developments
• 08:19–10:22 — JD Vance vs. Rand Paul over drug boat incident
• 11:18–13:14 — NFL “Game of the Season” discussion
• 15:47–19:00 — Headlines: A&G subreddit banned, millennial saint, Babylon Bee renaming
• 22:36–26:19 — America’s "Buy Now, Pay Later" debt patterns explained
• 28:12–28:39 — Worrying debt-to-income ratio statistics
• 37:16–41:22 — Portland law enforcement and urban decay, based on listener mail

Tone & Style

The hosts maintain their trademark sarcastic, irreverent, and conversational style while dissecting serious political, financial, and social news. They balance quick-witted banter (“Eat a bowling ball… then we’ll discuss again whether nothing is impossible.” — Joe Getty [35:40]) with candid concern on topics like debt, government overreach, and urban decline.

For New Listeners

This episode is essential Armstrong & Getty: sharp, funny, and topical with their blend of exasperated social commentary and “everyman” perspectives. They tackle financial anxiety, contemporary politics, viral moments, and bitingly humorous observations — all while refusing to take themselves too seriously.

For more, catch the full episode on Armstrong & Getty On Demand or at iHeartPodcasts