The Average American Pig Could Fit In My Pants

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand
Episode: The Average American Pig Could Fit In My Pants
Release Date: March 31, 2025
Host(s): Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Description: The official, On-Demand podcast of The Armstrong & Getty Show! Accept no substitutes!

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Overview

In this engaging episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand, hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a myriad of topical discussions ranging from infrastructure critiques and stringent California regulations to major league sports movements and the complexities of modern political scandals. Interspersed with candid banter and humorous exchanges, the episode provides insightful commentary on current events, societal trends, and governmental policies. Notable guest Gavin Newsom joins the conversation, adding depth to the discourse on California's legislative environment and national political dynamics.

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1. High-Speed Rail and Infrastructure Debate

Discussion Points:

• Critique of the high-speed rail initiative.
• Financial and logistical challenges highlighted by Bill Maher.

Notable Quotes:

• Bill Maher [00:23]: "Sure, you're tired of talking about the high speed rail, but it was passed in 2008. In 2019, you said, let's be real. The current project as planned, would call cost too much, respectfully, take too long."
• Gavin Newsom [00:43]: "Right now, there simply isn't a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego. Well, there's a path. It's the highway."

Summary: The episode opens with a discussion sparked by Bill Maher's critique of the high-speed rail project, emphasizing its exorbitant costs and prolonged timelines. Gavin Newsom counters by pointing out the existing highway infrastructure as a more viable alternative for transit between Sacramento and San Diego. The hosts debate the efficacy of large-scale infrastructure projects versus traditional transportation methods, questioning the practicality and economic sense behind high-speed rail investments.

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2. California’s Stringent Regulations: The Single-Use Bottle Ban

Discussion Points:

• New California law prohibiting the sale of single-use water bottles.
• Implications for consumers and businesses.
• Broader critique of California's regulatory environment.

Notable Quotes:

• Gavin Newsom [06:45]: "You can't buy a single use water bottle. Everything in America, you can buy literally 540 different beverages at your average big convenience."
• Jack Armstrong [07:24]: "So add to the list with gas cans and lawnmowers, and there's just a gazillion things you could come up with."

Summary: A significant portion of the episode addresses California Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent legislative move banning single-use water bottles. The hosts explore the practical challenges faced by consumers, such as the inability to purchase water on-the-go, and businesses, including convenience stores grappling with compliance. Armstrong and Getty critique the overregulation, suggesting it contributes to broader issues like high rents and consumer frustration, ultimately painting California as a state where excessive laws hinder everyday life.

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3. Major League Baseball’s Athletics Relocating to Sacramento

Discussion Points:

• The Athletics temporarily moving to Sacramento due to relocation.
• Community reception and logistical considerations.
• Impact on Oakland fans and Las Vegas prospects.

Notable Quotes:

• Gavin Newsom [04:15]: "The average American man is fatter than the average American pet. Big."
• Jack Armstrong [05:27]: "Oh, my God. God, they'll club us. They'll night stick us for saying that. Don't say that."

Summary: The hosts discuss the Athletics' temporary move to Sacramento, highlighting the sensitivity around the team's identity and fan base. There's a palpable frustration among Sacramento residents who are eager to embrace Major League Baseball, juxtaposed against the Athletics' strategic avoidance of directly referencing Sacramento to maintain their regional appeal. Armstrong expresses concern over potential fan alienation, while Newsom underscores the logistical success with high attendance figures, indicating a strong local support despite the team's fluctuating location.

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4. Melatonin and Modern Sleep Solutions

Discussion Points:

• Personal experiences with melatonin supplementation.
• Advice on appropriate dosages and effects.
• Alternative sleep aids and methods.

Notable Quotes:

• Gavin Newsom [09:43]: "Take one milligram if needed. Take one more milligram. Anything more than that can have the opposite effect."
• Jack Armstrong [09:46]: "I took 20."

Summary: Transitioning into health and wellness, Armstrong and Getty explore the topic of sleep aids, focusing on melatonin usage. Gavin Newsom shares his personal experiment with melatonin, initially taking excessive doses before discovering that smaller amounts are more effective. This segues into a broader conversation about the million-dollar sleep industry, skepticism towards energy drinks, and innovative sleep solutions like ice baths and infrared saunas. The hosts weigh the benefits and drawbacks of various methods, providing listeners with a nuanced view of achieving better sleep amidst modern life's challenges.

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5. Political Scandals and the Use of Signal App in Government

Discussion Points:

• Controversy surrounding Mike Waltz and the use of Signal for official communications.
• Analysis of the implications for national security and administrative integrity.
• Internal White House dynamics and Trump's relationship with administration officials.

Notable Quotes:

• Gavin Newsom [17:12]: "Do we not have nine SNL? Can we play that? We don't. We don't have it."
• Jack Armstrong [21:13]: "He's a serious man. Yes."
• Gavin Newsom [22:38]: "That's the worst one of those I've ever heard."

Summary: A heated segment delves into the scandal involving Mike Waltz, a White House official, and his inappropriate use of the Signal app for sensitive communications. Armstrong and Getty dissect the potential fallout within the Trump administration, debating the security risks and the apparent disconnect between high-level officials using ostensibly secure messaging platforms. They highlight conflicting narratives about the security of Signal, with discussions on whether the leak was a genuine security threat or a political maneuver. The conversation underscores the complexities of maintaining confidentiality and professionalism in government communications amidst evolving technology.

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6. President Trump’s Shift in Foreign Policy: Comments on Putin and Iran

Discussion Points:

• Trump's recent remarks expressing anger towards Vladimir Putin.
• Consideration of secondary tariffs on Russian oil and penalties for non-compliance.
• Analysis of Trump's negotiation tactics and potential impacts on international relations.

Notable Quotes:

• Jeffrey Goldberg [29:14]: "Yesterday, President Trump called me to tell me, quote, I was very angry, pissed off when Putin started getting into Zelensky's credibility..."
• Gavin Newsom [31:00]: "Trump is actually horrified by the loss of life and is extremely motivated to end it."
• Jack Armstrong [32:53]: "If he senses that Trump can be manipulated through, you know, sentimentality or normal concern for human life, he will exploit that as much as he possibly can."

Summary: In a pivotal discussion on international politics, Armstrong and Getty analyze President Trump's unexpected stern remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Citing an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, they explore the implications of Trump's anger towards Putin's interference in Ukrainian leadership credibility and his threats of imposing heavy tariffs on Russian oil. The hosts debate whether this marks a genuine policy shift or a strategic political maneuver by Trump, considering the potential ramifications for U.S.-Russia relations and broader geopolitical stability. They also discuss Trump's approach to Iran, questioning the efficacy and realism of his vague threats of bombing should diplomatic deals falter.

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7. Cultural and Social Commentary

Discussion Points:

• Satirical take on political figures and social norms.
• Reflections on public reactions to legislative changes and sporting events.
• Humorous interludes mimicking social media and SNL sketches.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong [17:22]: "It's a 999 plan. Actually, we do have it now. We have it now. Here we go."
• Gavin Newsom [28:01]: "The most interesting thing to me, news wise, around any of this stuff, was Trump for the first time badmouthing Putin yesterday in his phone call with Kristen Welker of Meet the Press."

Summary: Throughout the episode, Armstrong and Getty infuse their discussions with cultural satire and humor, often referencing popular media formats like Saturday Night Live and social media interactions. They mockingly recreate snippets of conversations and portray exaggerated political scenarios, offering listeners both laughter and critical perspectives on how public figures and media influence societal discourse. This blend of humor with serious topics provides a balanced and entertaining listening experience, ensuring that complex issues are accessible and engaging.

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Conclusion

This episode of Armstrong & Getty On Demand successfully weaves together a tapestry of current events, personal anecdotes, and sharp political analysis. From dissecting infrastructure projects and state regulations to navigating the turbulent waters of political scandals and international diplomacy, Armstrong and Getty offer listeners a comprehensive and entertaining exploration of the issues shaping today's society. Their ability to balance humor with insightful commentary makes this episode a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand the multifaceted landscape of contemporary American life.

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Notable Timestamps for Reference:

• 00:23 – Bill Maher on High-Speed Rail
• 06:45 – California's Single-Use Bottle Ban
• 05:27 – Athletics Moving to Sacramento
• 09:43 – Melatonin Dosage Discussion
• 17:12 – Signal App Scandal with Mike Waltz
• 29:14 – President Trump's Comments on Putin

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For those who missed the episode or wish to revisit specific discussions, the full transcript is available on the podcast's official website.

Transcript

[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.

[Jack Armstrong]

And now here's Armstrong and Getty.

[Bill Maher]

Sure, you're tired of talking about the high speed rail, but it was passed in 2008. In 2019, you said, let's be real. The current project as planned, would call cost too much, respectfully, take too long. Right now, there simply isn't a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego. Well, there's a path. It's the highway.

[Gavin Newsom]

That's Bill Maher talking with Gavin Newsom, governor of California, Friday night on his HBO show.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or one of several airlines that are delighted to bring you to and fro for a bargain fee.

[Gavin Newsom]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

I haven't watched that yet. How tough was mar on him?

[Gavin Newsom]

Gavin? I'm sure scrambling to try to get on that show because he is trying to position himself as the moderate Democrat, as polls show. That's what most Democrats want, regardless of what the media thinks.

[Jack Armstrong]

And he's running away from his entire career.

[Gavin Newsom]

Has to.

[Jack Armstrong]

You can't do it. Do something else with your time.

[Gavin Newsom]

You end up with an authenticity problem, which is part of what hurt Kamala Harris. But anyway, let's hear this conversation from Friday night's HBO show.

[Bill Maher]

My roof.

[Gavin Newsom]

Your roof. My roof.

[Ezra Klein]

Is this the solar?

[Jack Armstrong]

Is this.

[Gavin Newsom]

We're back to the solar after the fire.

[Bill Maher]

It's always about the solar after the fire. Yes, Bill. New roof. They suggested, you know, get the stuff. That's not okay. Two inspections I needed to have. Why? It's my roof. If it falls on my head, that's my problem.

[Ezra Klein]

That's it.

[Bill Maher]

That's it.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's just a statement.

[Gavin Newsom]

No, that's my question.

[Bill Maher]

Why do I need two inspections which I have to pay for? Yeah, you were here last time we talked about regulations. You said, oh, it's a completely new day.

[Ezra Klein]

Well, no, wait, wait, wait.

[Bill Maher]

That's a quote from you. Completely new day. You said you were working on it, by the way.

[Ezra Klein]

And last week you had Ezra Klein on, which was incredibly important. He wrote a book called Abundance, which really lays out a very condemning picture of liberal governance in this country and the fact that we are process focused and not outcome focused. And your demonstrable example of that as relates to what you've tried to do with your damn roof for the last 15 years. And so it's our job to. To eliminate as many of those thickets.

[Bill Maher]

How's that going, though?

[Ezra Klein]

As possible.

[Gavin Newsom]

I like the crowd laughing at that question. How's that going? As in obviously it's not going very well. Or. Or you're completely. I almost dropped an S bomb. Or you're completely full of crap.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I. I have said many times, Gavin has no beliefs and he's utterly soulless. He is very smart, though, and very canny in listening to that, quoting Ezra Klein and the rest of it. If anybody can run against his entire career and every single thing he's ever done, it might be Gavi. I don't think he can do that successfully, but he has an amazing way of saying, yeah, that's the challenge we're trying to deal with. I tell you what, I get in the governor's office, I see all these regulations, and I think, this has got to end. We gotta empower the businesses to succeed. And you're like, wait a minute.

[Gavin Newsom]

Wait, wait, wait. Where have you been?

[Jack Armstrong]

Who are you? It's like when Superman chain turns evil in that one movie. It's disconcerting, but opposite. But yeah.

[Gavin Newsom]

So he's.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know. I don't know. Can he possibly. I was gonna say bamboozle enough people to get himself elected president. Depends who the Republicans run.

[Gavin Newsom]

Two quick things. One, we got this text. The average American man is fatter than the average American pig. That's all they said. No context. I don't know if that's, like, a body fat percentage.

[Jack Armstrong]

So the average American pig could fit in my pants easily or what?

[Gavin Newsom]

I don't. I don't know. I don't know what that means. Yeah, the average American man is fatter than the average American pet. Big.

[Jack Armstrong]

In terms of, like, ideal weight versus reality.

[Gavin Newsom]

I guess. Anyway, you know, fat is a pig.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are our pigs especially fat in the animal kingdom?

[Gavin Newsom]

I don't think so.

[Jack Armstrong]

I mean, if they're, like, you know, being raised for bacon or something, they probably are. But I look at a pig and I don't say, look at that fat ass.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I just think they're pleasantly rounded.

[Gavin Newsom]

Where did fat as a pig come from?

[Jack Armstrong]

No, they're not fatter because the way they eat, maybe. Of course, that expression probably came about when the Average man weighed 118 pounds.

[Gavin Newsom]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Thin as a rail.

[Gavin Newsom]

Okay. Away from that. So we got. I saw this in the New York Times. This is a New York Times article. Today, Sacramento is ready for its Major League moment. Just don't say Sacramento. The Athletics temporarily have moved to California's capital Region, but insisted on avoiding references to Sacramento. Residents who are thrilled to have MLB games are used to such slights. It says here, and we are at the very stadium the New York Times is writing about right now, broadcasting live as it is opening day for the. They're just calling themselves the A's or the Athletics. If I say Sacramento A's, do I get in trouble?

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my God. God, they'll club us. They'll night stick us for saying that. Don't say that.

[Gavin Newsom]

Why did they not want that?

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm sure they could explain it to you. Because they didn't want to alienate Oakland fans. They didn't want to alienate Oakland. Las Vegas, where they're going.

[Gavin Newsom]

11,000 people showing up to each game.

[Jack Armstrong]

Last year on a good day. Yeah, I don't. I don't know. You'd have to ask them. I think it's. They want to be the team for the region, Jack.

[Gavin Newsom]

I'm guessing it's because if I've spent gazillions of dollars for the Las Vegas A's, I don't. Don't. Don't be rebranding them something else before you bring them here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. I just think they're trying not to tread on any toes, but our longtime flagship station for the talk show happens to be the flagship for the Athletics for the next three years. And so they asked us to come out and help celebrate opening day. That's why we're at a ballpark to do a talk show. You know, back to the Gavin Newsom thing briefly. Jack, a little earlier was telling the tale of trying to get an individual bottle of water at a convenience store in Cal Unicornia, and was told by the clerk, no, the law, as Katie informed us, that was passed. What did she say, like three years ago, has finally been implemented. You can't buy a single use water bottle.

[Gavin Newsom]

So if you stop at the convenience store and you're thirsty, you can't walk in and buy a little bottle of water like you have with you and your family every time you've stopped on vacation.

[Jack Armstrong]

Everywhere in America, you can buy literally 540 different beverages at your average big convenience.

[Gavin Newsom]

Most of them will kill you over time. They're horrible for you, or turn you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Into a degenerate drunk.

[Gavin Newsom]

And they're in a plastic bottle, Right? But you can't buy water or an.

[Jack Armstrong]

Aluminum can or whatever. Yeah, that's right. And Gabby's gonna run against that record. I tell you, Too many regulations. I fought this, and we'll fight it till America becomes the great place it could be. No, no, no. You can't beat me and then decry violence with your fists still bloody. You lying hypocrite.

[Gavin Newsom]

So add to the list with gas cans and lawnmowers, and there's just a gazillion things you could come up with. If you're thirsty and you're coming into California, make sure you buy a bottle of water in Arizona or Nevada or Oregon before you get into California, because it's against the law. Hilarious. You've got heroin addicts sleeping in the.

[Jack Armstrong]

Park, selling drugs openly with pit bulls.

[Gavin Newsom]

Running around, and your little kid can't play there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Gavin Newsom]

And you let that happen, but you can't buy a bottle of water. What the freaking hell we're working on?

[Ezra Klein]

I laugh.

[Jack Armstrong]

High rents, one bill too many is a real challenge. We're trying to reduce regulations to deal with this issue that was, you know, visited upon us from heaven there. I had nothing to do with it. Unbelievable, that.

[Gavin Newsom]

It really is unbelievable.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Cal Unicornia I caramba.

[Gavin Newsom]

I would think if Gavin Newsom runs for president, I would think the first of all, you'd have to get the nomination. And that fight could be pretty brutal. But the number one thing you'd hit him with is people are leaving your state for the first time in its history.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. One of the most beautiful, dynamic places on the face of God's earth.

[Gavin Newsom]

You reach a limit where, oh, wait, I can't get a normal lawnmower like you can in other states, or I can't buy a gas can, or now I can't even buy a bottle of water. Me and the family's thirsty. You finally. And the taxes are insane. You finally decide, you know what? Screw it, I'm going somewhere else. And lots of people are.

[Jack Armstrong]

And then you hear the announcement that we're going to be the world center for confused parents bringing their teenagers here to have cruel sex change experiments done on them. A medical procedure a child could never consent to. Can't buy a pack of smokes, but we're going to alter their genitals or feed them powerful hormones because they're momentarily confused. You think? Nope. Not going to be a party to it.

[Gavin Newsom]

So Trump did an interview with the host to Meet the Press right before the show yesterday and said some wild stuff, really interesting newsmaking stuff that we ought to get to at some point.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, and from the world of gossip, the Trump Putin bromance is off.

[Gavin Newsom]

Good. But I do want to talk about some of the sleep stuff we discussed on Friday. We got a text from somebody who's done a lot of research on melatonin. According to him, I took 20 times the recommended now amount last night. Is that too much.

[Jack Armstrong]

I wonder. Your eye is bulging. Just the one I know.

[Gavin Newsom]

I can't hear out of my right eye. It's not good. All this on the way. Stay tuned.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty.

[Gavin Newsom]

Music's getting me excited. We're sitting at a major league ballpark as the sun has come up and the the A's play the Cubs.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, sir.

[Gavin Newsom]

Wow. I bet that wasn't an accident because the Cubs draw anywhere they go and I'll bet they wanted to make sure they had a good crowd. So you get the excitement of the home team in a new town and all the Cubs people that are going to come out.

[Jack Armstrong]

So yeah, I wonder. I don't know. That's probably true. Anyway, it should be festive and exciting. Coming Trump angry at Putin. Israel's tactics in the so called refugee camps, which are really cities, they're called refugee camps for political reasons, but Israel is emptying them out. What next? And finally, what did I say earlier? I was going to do something else that's really, really interesting. Oh, Mike Waltz on Thin Thin ice in the White House. The national security advisor who occasionally ropes liberal journalists into his secret chats. Probably on the way out. We shall see.

[Gavin Newsom]

So how much melatonin should you take when you're trying to get to sleep? You or your kids? I got some info on that in just a second because we've been talking about that but wanted to get this funny thing on first. There are at least three people in the world that do dead on Trump impersonations. You got Sean Gillis, the comedian, you got the guy from SNL and then this guy who's big on Twitter, I don't know if anywhere else. Sean Farish wanted to tell you this is a comedian because Trump is capable of saying any of these things. So. But anyway, this is pretty funny.

[Sean Farish]

Well, I just got done with a beautiful meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. He sits when he peace. He doesn't want you to know that, but he does it. Everybody knows it but you look at it. I said, justin, we're going to slap you so hard with tariffs. He said, sir, please don't talk dirty to me. You know I love being slapped. I said, not like that, Justin, we're going to hit you so hard with tariffs, you're not going to know what hit you. You have to close your border. You have to help us with border. He said, we're not going to do it. I said, okay, we're going to cut off your supply of soy. He said, sir, please don't do that. I need my soy. Justin Trudeau is the number one consumer of soy in the entire world. He consumes more soy than any nation or any man anybody ever thought possible. He consumed so much soy.

[Gavin Newsom]

That is so good. That last part about the number one consumer of soy. And then repeat it again in the way that Trump does.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Gavin Newsom]

Like, why are you repeating this? But he says it again.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Gavin Newsom]

Of any nation or human on earth. That is a good Trump right there. Trump says he had a good phone call with Trudeau on Friday, but then over the weekend, the new prime minister said, this is the biggest fissure between Canada and the United States in our history. Or something like that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, yeah, Canada's like, everybody's all fired up with anti American rage and hatred. Elbows up. Is the, the, the chant. Like the Great Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey. No more Mr. A Nice Guy. Elbows up. Elbows up. They're banning American products from stores. And the shelves of liquor stores, for instance. Elbows up. Don't poke the goose. Elbows up. Bunch of goose pokers. Am I wrong?

[Gavin Newsom]

All right, we got more on that coming up later. So I've been struggling to sleep lately and so been talking about on the air and then turns out statistically, like half of people struggle to sleep. So that's why it's such a multi billion dollar industry with a bunch of products, real and or fake. Most of them are phony, I think, helping you get to sleep. But you're desperate, so you'll try it. I know I am. Melatonin is real, though. It's something your, your body actually produces, helps you get to sleep. And then you try to give yourself a little boost. And I've heard of a lot of different stuff about how much you should take, but they sell it like at CVS, you can get 1 milligram, you can get 5 milligrams, you can get 10 milligrams. I bought the container of 10 milligrams and I took two of them last night. I took one to get me to sleep, but then I always wake up at like 1:00 in the. Then I got another one sitting on the nightstand. I take that one when I wake up and it's been putting me back to sleep. That's been working lately.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, Elvis or Michael Jackson.

[Gavin Newsom]

Right. So we got this. Hey, Jack, I've done a lot of research into melatonin, which I did take several years ago. Take one milligram if needed. Take one more milligram.

[Jack Armstrong]

I took 20.

[Gavin Newsom]

Anything more than that can have the opposite effect. That's when melatonin started working for me. Hard to find 1mg tablets, but most people take too much, so. That's interesting. One milligram of melatonin actually works better. Better than 10. So I'm willing to try that tonight.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's interesting. I don't know why that'd be biochemically, but.

[Gavin Newsom]

Doesn't matter.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, it doesn't. I know some people at some times, caffeine makes them sleepy.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yeah. Anybody with adhd? Those people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, is that why stimulant and that.

[Gavin Newsom]

Caffeine energy drinks. I know several people like that. That drink that to calm down.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Gavin Newsom]

And I think my son might be that way. And he's been kind of half diagnosed with some sort of attention thing. And I haven't wanted to go down the road of medication on that. I just say pay attention. But energy drinks seem to have no effect on him other than like mellowing him out. So that's interesting. We got this. We talked about ice. A good client of the Armstrong and Getty show called in. He suggests an ice bath. He jumps in like a super cold water bath every morning and then it like does something for his system all day long. He's never slept better in his life. I don't. I just can't even imagine do that. Hey, Jack, I'm with you in regard to a cold plunge. Couldn't do it. I. I'd rather not sleep for the rest of my life than get into a cold bath for saying in the.

[Jack Armstrong]

Morning or be sleepy and miserable for six hours of the day. That's fine. I'm used to it.

[Gavin Newsom]

I put an infrared sauna in my home, 15 minutes in it before bed, and I sleep so much better. Many other proven health benefits. I don't know anything about the infrared. Infrared sauna, that's new to me.

[Jack Armstrong]

End up like a rotisserie dog. Right. Convenience store. Dry it out and wrinkle it.

[Gavin Newsom]

Costco chicken.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Interesting. Yeah, I guess I'm lucky. I just. I go to sleep generally pretty well.

[Gavin Newsom]

I had my whole life up until a couple months ago.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. My wife struggles with sleep, same thing. Wakes up, can't get back.

[Gavin Newsom]

You said we got a lot of emails about the ice bath thingy. Do people do that?

[Jack Armstrong]

It was like everything. Yay. Great idea. No, that's the last thing you want to do. That's. The studies have shown I sad and gained.

[Gavin Newsom]

Any particular studies as much as people who actually do it or not. And this guy who we. We definitely know and trust says it's made his life better. I just. No way I'm doing that. I don't. I'm sure. I think at a point of a gun, first thing in the morning, you tell me to jump into freezing water, I'd say, go ahead and shoot me. I've had a good run.

[Jack Armstrong]

It sounds like you're in that El Salvador prison with all those gang members. You got to take an icy cold shower every week or whatever.

[Gavin Newsom]

Live in North Korea now. How did I end up in a situation where I have to jump in cold water?

[Jack Armstrong]

So the fallout from the infamous Signal chat is not quite over yet. Mike Waltz is on thin, thin ice, and Putin and Trump's bromance, if it ever existed, may be over. What is going on there? What is Trump's strategy? Stay with us. Armstrong and Getty.

[Gavin Newsom]

Do we not have nine snl? Can we play that? We don't. We don't have it.

[Jack Armstrong]

999.

[Gavin Newsom]

All right, well, that's fine. We don't have that.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a 999 plan. Actually, we do have it. We have it now. We do have it now. Here we go.

[Kristen Welker]

Airborne 15 minutes ago. Who's ready to glass some Houthi rebels?

[Gavin Newsom]

Flag emoji.

[Kristen Welker]

Flag emoji. Flag emoji.

[Gavin Newsom]

Flag emoji, flag emoji.

[Kristen Welker]

Fire emoji. Eggplant. Who is Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense? Hey, while I got everyone sending a PDF with updated locations of all our nuclear submarines, check that one we got chilling right outside Shanghai. Jordan Peele sweating like crazy. Gif. Hold up. Adding JD Now.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nice job on the strike fam. Female skier emoji. My bad.

[Gavin Newsom]

Meant to send fire emoji.

[Kristen Welker]

Okay, hold up. Adding Marco Rubio in the house.

[Gavin Newsom]

Wait, that was Saturday Night Live mocking the idea of some sort of social media style group text that in this case on Saturday Night Live accidentally included some high school girls who are involved in there.

[Jack Armstrong]

It was actually very.

[Gavin Newsom]

And I thought it was funny, too.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, you know what I cannot get a straight read on is whether it was wildly inappropriate and idiotic to be using Signal or as Ratcliffe, the very serious head of the CIA, said, no, that was one of the first things they loaded on my computers when I started. We use it all the time. And I realized there was the update. Maybe Russia could hack and there's conflicting info on that, but you have people saying polar opposite things.

[Gavin Newsom]

I just. It doesn't make sense to me that the Secretary of State, the CIA director, the dni, the sec, deaf wouldn't all be on a, a signal chat having those discussions if it wasn't, if even one of them said, wait a second, why are we having this conversation here?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? What, not a single one of them. Right.

[Gavin Newsom]

That just seems weird to me. So I lean toward thinking they have been doing it rightly or wrongly or whatever. Now Elon is at the CIA headquarters today, in theory to discuss, you know, in Elon super tech genius style, coming up with some sort of new system that perhaps they could use that would be more streamlined and safe that that could be the future.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Because one point of near universal agreement is that the government systems are ridiculously outdated and cumbersome. And that's why they use Signal, for instance, which the Signal story, the origin story is pretty interesting. It was started by like super anti establishment hacker types. So you could have encrypted communication one end to the other. No government could get a key. Nobody could, you know, figure out what you're doing. And it's kind of funny that CIA guys and the national security team are using, you know, the app developed by this purple haired chick who I'm sure list herself as quasi quadra sexual or something like that.

[Gavin Newsom]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know what I mean?

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, the signal people wanted to get the news out. Wait a second, wait a second. Everybody talking about this is easy to hack. No, it's not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right?

[Gavin Newsom]

You cannot hack into our system. The fact that they, you know, invited in somebody that shouldn't be on there has got nothing to do with our security.

[Jack Armstrong]

So the interesting part of the scandal to me is not the scandal itself, there's no harm done. What will the fallout be in the Trump administration? Because there is going to be fallout. In listening to some learned commentators who have a great deal of sympathy for Mike Waltz's worldview. So they are not MAGA types with the hatchets out for Waltz. And there are plenty of those. They said one of the more pathetic aspects of this is Waltz denying that he knew Jeffrey Goldberg, that he'd ever met him, blah, blah, blah. Because it's clear that he added Goldberg's contact info to the chat accidentally. Maybe he thought it was somebody else, but he absolutely had his contact info. And they have similar views of foreign policy. I've heard and I don't know, so it seems a stretch.

[Gavin Newsom]

I don't know if we have this clip. We're, we're live at a baseball park today for the Athletics who are having their home opener in Sacramento. And it's kind of an interesting story. We'll talk about that later. But anyway, we're at a ballpark. I don't know if we have this clip, but Walls said over the weekend, he said Jeffrey Goldberg's number got sucked in, but somebody sent me a contact. Nobody has any idea what he means by that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, I got sucked in. That happens.

[Gavin Newsom]

What the hell does that mean?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's like, you remember when I texted you and Gavin Newsom's contact info got sucked in? No. Nobody has any idea what that means.

[Gavin Newsom]

Now, I was doing a little research on his background, which we did before when he originally got named, but he's a Green Beret. I mean, he's. He's all kinds of, like, super buttoned up, smart, successful, everything.

[Jack Armstrong]

He's a serious man. Yes.

[Gavin Newsom]

Why is he coming out saying, I've never met Jeffrey Goldberg. I've never talked to him on the phone. Okay. There are pictures of you with him at events.

[Jack Armstrong]

Ye. Yeah, I'm. I have a great deal of sympathy for that because we've been to so many events, had pictures taken. I mean, if somebody turned out to be some sort of, you know, axe murdering child molester. Have you ever met Gregory? Gregory? I'd say, I don't think so, no.

[Gavin Newsom]

Then there's a picture, 1998, there you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Are at a fundraiser with him. I'd be like, all right, so I don't. I don't know. But anyway, so Waltz is on thin, thin ice at the White House, apparently, according to sources who are leaking like a loose diaper to the Wall Street Journal.

[Gavin Newsom]

That's the worst one of those I've ever heard.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, that was illustrative.

[Gavin Newsom]

No, rewind.

[Jack Armstrong]

So, anyway, yeah, Waltz is on very, very thin ice, and the only reason he's still around is that Trump is really, really loathe to give the media and the left a trophy for their wall. Of course, he remembers when he got rid of Mike Flynn early on in. In term number one. And he came to regret that decision is vowed to never repeat it. Two months into his new term, he's bragged about the relative professionalism efficacy of his current team, according to the Wall Street Journal, enjoying in particular the absence of news stories about careless mistakes.

[Gavin Newsom]

Trump wishes he had kept Flint. That's its own interesting story, or at.

[Jack Armstrong]

Least handled it differently. Let's see, here's the but. Okay, but Waltz has a much more conservative, or a traditional conservative Republican view of foreign relations, projecting American power, that sort of thing, than a lot of folks in Magaworld. So, again, according to the Journal, Waltz's ideological adversaries are Pursuing an internal campaign to remind the president that Waltz wasn't always aligned with him. Pointing out that Waltz opposed the withdrawal of US Forces from Afghanistan, Syria, supported America's defense of Ukraine, worked on national security legislation with then Representative Liz Cheney. Well, she was a conservative Republican. That's not saying much.

[Gavin Newsom]

So that's interesting, though.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's the good part, though. Some administration officials also began circulating clips on Friday of Waltz making particularly critical comments of Trump in the past. Like a 2016 video of Waltz criticizing Trump for not serving in the Vietnam War and urging voters to stop Trump. Now that's. Folks within the White House are circulating those.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yeah, but God dang it. I mean, can, can you imagine?

[Jack Armstrong]

Look into work and there's like a big picture on the bulletin board with a caption, Trump is an A hole. Mike Waltz. Whoa.

[Gavin Newsom]

But that's. But that's true of his secretary of state. That's true of lots of people around him.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure.

[Gavin Newsom]

That, that, that said horrible things about him back in the day. That's just. And he loves that. I think he enjoys that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Gavin Newsom]

That you said something bad about me and now you're answering to me. I think he, he loves that dynamic. It's not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I think he does. The press always calls it bowing, bending the knee to Trump, but the guy won. I mean, like, that's unprecedented. You go through the primaries taking hatchets to each other, which your son learned to use.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

An ax. A hatchet.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yep. He got his. It's not a merit badge. It's. It's an activity badge or something. He learned how to use a hatchet and an axe over the weekend. Oh, there you go.

[Jack Armstrong]

Anywhere. What was I. Oh, that's right. So you get through the primary saying horrible things, each other, then you unite at the convention with your hands held high together.

[Gavin Newsom]

But I was just thinking, you reading off that list of walls positions, Democrats, your cable lefty cable news channels shouldn't be so excited about trying to drive walls out of the administration. He's closer to their side.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. It's tribal. It's. It's religious. It's not fact based, it's not policy based. It's just so dumb. Well, Waltz is on his side now. And even though he agrees with me on a bunch of stuff or disagreed, but whatever, it doesn't matter. It's just, is this good for Trump or bad for Trump? Which is a hell of a worldview. Yeah. I'd say if Barack Obama's policies had made me rich. They didn't. I would have thought I Think he's wrong about everything. But let's keep doing that.

[Gavin Newsom]

Go with. So this is Jeffrey Goldberg, who is a really hardcore ideologue, lefty journalist with the Atlantic, as you now know from the story, even if you'd never heard of him before last week. But here's him being interviewed yesterday on Meet the Press. I thought this was interesting. Clip 30 Michael.

[Joe Getty]

My phone number was in his phone. Because my phone number is in his phone. He's telling everyone that he's never met me or spoken to me. That's simply not true. I understand why he's doing it, but, you know, this has become a somewhat farcical situation. There's no, there's no subterfuge here. My number was in his phone. He mistakenly added me to the group chat. There we go.

[Gavin Newsom]

I thought it was interesting that he didn't, he didn't specifically say. Goldberg didn't specifically say we've talked on the phone many times or he's met me, unless he knows me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Leak relationship. But he meant to think you just state it what it is. Right.

[Gavin Newsom]

Because otherwise it sounds to me like he's trying to blur the lines between what you discussed. You were at some big event together and you've met, but you wouldn't remember it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that statement was weirdly lawyerly.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yeah, that's what I thought.

[Jack Armstrong]

And people don't talk that way for no reason.

[Gavin Newsom]

Oh, yeah, exactly.

[Jack Armstrong]

What are you covering?

[Gavin Newsom]

That's because I thought if he wanted to make his point, he would say he's in. I'm in his phone. Because we talk on the phone all the time. He calls me, I call him or he texts me or I text him. He'd either.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. It didn't explain the nature of the relationship at all. I'm in his phone because I'm in his phone. What does, what does that mean anyway? Waltz is going to hang on for at least a while. Who knows, maybe he can rally his way back into the good graces of the orange one. Maybe not.

[Gavin Newsom]

The most interesting thing to me, news wise, around any of this stuff, was Trump for the first time badmouthing Putin yesterday in his phone call with Kristen Welker of Meet the Press.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I hadn't heard that a couple hours before airtime, Trump just said, I want to talk to you.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why don't we talk about what he said about Putin? Because this could have, like, history changing. It could be a real inflection point in European history. Yeah. Maybe world history. If this deal does or does not come together.

[Gavin Newsom]

It wasn't a recorded phone call. She just. She just characterized what he said on the show at the beginning. And we'll play that for you coming up. Stay here.

[Kristen Welker]

Armstrong and Getty scientists say that they've.

[Gavin Newsom]

Developed a way of making foie gras that does not involve force feeding ducks. Wow, that's great. Said ducks. What about the murder? I thought that was pretty funny. So the most interesting thing that has happened around Ukraine, Russia, Trump yet in my mind, well, since that Oval Office meeting, anyway, that was. That was something. Here's the way Kristen Welker described it on Meet the Press.

[Jeffrey Goldberg]

Yesterday, President Trump called me to tell me, quote, I was very angry, pissed off when Putin started getting into Zelensky's credibility and started talking about new leadership in Ukraine. On Iran, the president said he's also considering secondary tariffs if Iran doesn't agree to a nuclear deal. Quote, if they don't make a deal, there will be bombing.

[Gavin Newsom]

Both of those are pretty damned interesting. So he was, he says he's pissed off at Putin, which is certainly the strongest language he's ever had around Putin.

[Jack Armstrong]

Sure. Yeah.

[Gavin Newsom]

And then on the Iran thing, if they don't come around, there will be bombing. That sort of thing used to get so much attention. It doesn't as much with Trump because he says over the top stuff all the time, but we'll save the Iran thing for now. Here's the Washington Post version of this. So Trump calls up Welker, the host, to Meet the Press, and talks to her on the phone. Apparently, she didn't record it because there's no one, no audio of this. It's just her telling the story. Basically, Trump said Sunday he was angry at Russian President Putin. And he said, actually, I'm off. When Putin said yesterday that, you know, when Putin started getting into Zelinsky's credibility, because that's not going in the right direction, you understand? Trump said in a phone interview with Christian Walker.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Let's stop there for a second. So Trump's mental framework of this, obviously, is that Zelensky is legit. He's the leader of Ukraine. He's agreed to negotiate. We're gonna negotiate. And you. And I'm picturing it like in terms of a golf course or building a hotel development or something like that. And Putin comes in and is undermining the other partner, and Trump says, we're not having it, which is really interesting.

[Gavin Newsom]

Yeah. Trump said he would consider putting secondary tariffs on Russian oil or penalties on other countries that buy oil from Russia if he and Putin couldn't come to terms on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine. In Ukraine, if I think it was Russia's fault. Here's the quote that would be that if you buy oil from Russia, you can't do business in the United States. There will be a 25% tariff on all. On all oil at 25 to 50 point tariff on all oil. Trump said. He also said he plans to speak to Putin this week. The comments saying. The Washington Post is saying this. The comments mark a change from a softer approach toward Russia and its president than Trump took in his first two months of his new administration, which seemed.

[Jack Armstrong]

Clear at the time and is now undeniably just pre negotiation. Flattering of people, just, you know, keeping everything smooth. Correct me if I'm wrong. Trump, Trump. And this is not, you know, in sync with his reputation, certainly. Trump is actually horrified by the loss of life and is extremely motivated to end it. It's not calculated, geopolitical, you know, 17 dimensional chess. He just doesn't want any more people to die.

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, that's the way J.D. vance put it over the weekend.

[Jack Armstrong]

Uh huh. Yeah.

[Gavin Newsom]

I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Which is lovely and admirable, depending on what that motivates you to do. I mean, if Putin senses. Because Putin doesn't care if 5 million people die.

[Gavin Newsom]

5 million of his own people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Exactly, yeah. Yeah, Stole my thought. And so if he senses that Trump can be manipulated through, you know, sentimentality or, you know, normal concern for human life, he will exploit that as much as he possibly can. This is so unlike any other process I've ever seen in trying to settle an issue like this, a conflict like this.

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, I think it's going to get damned interesting now. He says he's going to talk to Putin this week. I can't imagine where this is going from, from here.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, clearly Trump is reasonably comfortable with just brute economic force against Putin. The whole there, it's a bromance, he's a Russian stooge thing. It doesn't look like it now, although we'll have to see how it unfolds. I don't think he is. The other aspect of this, that is just crazy. The most transparent White House by a million miles in recent history. Trump calls. He doesn't have some anonymous source familiar with the president's thinking. He just says, hey, Kristen, Donald Trump here, here's what I'm thinking about all this stuff, right? Don't record it, but you can talk about all of it, anything you want. And he bends her ear for a while, says that's what I'm thinking. Good to talk to you. See ya. Kristen Welker, of all people. But he knows how to get the.

[Gavin Newsom]

Word out to D.C. well, he's an old man, too. He still sees Meet the Press as the place to get, you know, information out.

[Jack Armstrong]

True. And she's, you know, attractive.

[Gavin Newsom]

That's true, too. Oh, my God. Yeah. That's an interesting development in this story.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, I'd say. Where does it end? Well, you can cite, like, any similar attempt at a conflict resolution in the last 30 years, and I, or, you know, anybody who semi knows what they're talking about could describe to you the dynamics involved and who's gonna have to give on what. What are the questions that have to be answered, blah, blah, blah. And here's how it's probably going to go. This one completely up in the air. No idea.

[Gavin Newsom]

Well, the Putin part's getting all the attention, but what he said about Iran. You agree to this, what we're talking about with the nuclear deal. Get rid of your nuclear program or the bombs will fall. I mean, there is no. Fair enough. That was pretty clear cut.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Who needs strategic ambiguity? We'll bomb you.

[Gavin Newsom]

Exactly. Okay, we got a couple more hours to go. If you missed the segment or an hour, get the podcast. Armstrong and Getty on demand.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Gettysburg.