Trump Grabbed Them By The Avocados

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "Trump Grabbed Them By The Avocados" – Detailed Summary

Release Date: February 3, 2025
Host: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty
Podcast: The Armstrong & Getty Show on iHeartPodcasts

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1. Introduction and Opening Discussion

The episode kicks off with Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty initiating a conversation about sex change operations. Jack expresses a keen interest in understanding the intricacies of gender reassignment surgeries, prompting Joe and an unnamed contributor to delve into the various medical procedures involved.

Notable Quote:

• Jack Armstrong [00:02]: "I'd like to know about sex change operations."

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2. Exploring Gender Reassignment Surgeries

The hosts break down the components of sex change operations, discussing procedures like mammoplasty, vaginoplasty, renoplasty, and laryngoplasty. The conversation highlights the complexity, risks, and emotional aspects associated with these surgeries.

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Getty [00:35]: "Men to woman or woman to men?"
• Unnamed Contributor [01:20]: "Have we mentioned that? Yeah. So yes, that's the Oscar bait part of it."

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3. Critique of the Transgender Oscar Bait Movie: "Summer Anthem"

A significant portion of the episode centers on the hosts' critique of a fictional transgender-themed movie titled "Summer Anthem," which, according to them, is designed as Oscar bait. They dissect the film's portrayal of a brutal Mexican drug cartel boss's transformation into a saintly transgender woman, questioning the authenticity and depth of character development.

Notable Quotes:

• Unnamed Contributor [01:20]: "I've now heard the summer anthem that is the sex change song from that movie several times and it's more astounded each time at how dumb those lyrics are."
• Jack Armstrong [02:14]: "It's presented as humor. So it's supposed to be funny. Dumb. Well, ridiculous."

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4. Analysis of Foreign Aid and US Foreign Policy

Transitioning from entertainment, Armstrong and Getty engage in a robust discussion about US foreign aid. They critique the inefficiencies and perceived misallocations within agencies like USAID, arguing that a significant portion of aid funds is squandered on superficial projects rather than impactful initiatives. The conversation touches on geopolitical strategies, particularly the competition with China, and the implications of domestic politics on foreign policy.

Notable Quotes:

• Unnamed Contributor [19:07]: "When people are asked, what percentage of our federal budget is giving money to foreign countries? People tend to guess around 25%."
• Jack Armstrong [20:54]: "There is a fake argument for foreign aid to begin with."

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5. Personal Anecdote: Chess Challenge with Jack's Son

Adding a personal touch, Jack shares his recent experiences losing at chess to his son, highlighting the challenges of keeping up with the younger generation's skills. This segment underscores the hosts' ability to blend serious discussions with relatable, everyday experiences.

Notable Quotes:

• Unnamed Contributor [26:31]: "I'm wounded psychologically today as I just flat can't beat my son at chess anymore."
• Jack Armstrong [27:15]: "Better opponent. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There you go."

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6. Commentary on the Oscars and Celebrity Antics

The conversation shifts to the Oscars, where the hosts express their opinions on award outcomes and celebrity behaviors. They discuss Beyoncé's wins, Kanye West's controversial appearance with his wife, and critique the overall structure of award categories, questioning their significance and relevance.

Notable Quotes:

• Unnamed Contributor [28:25]: "Beyonce wins best country album and best album of the year for her country album."
• Jack Armstrong [30:02]: "I've long despised the Grammys as an award-giving outfit."

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7. Discussion on Fascism and Neo-Fascism

In a more serious turn, Jack introduces a discussion on the rise of fascist ideologies among young men on the political right. He draws parallels between historical fascist movements and current trends, emphasizing the dangers of overreach and the backlash such movements can provoke. The conversation highlights the importance of constitutional principles and the perils of abandoning them in times of perceived crisis.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong [17:14]: "The appeal of fascism... it's absolutely a neo-fascist way to look at things."
• Unnamed Contributor [34:34]: "The lesson we can draw from fascists fighting communism is this."

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8. Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks

As the episode nears its end, the hosts briefly touch upon recent political happenings, including Senator John Fetterman's unorthodox attire at Pebble Beach, and wrap up with light-hearted banter. This final segment maintains the show's signature blend of humor and commentary, leaving listeners with a mix of insightful discussions and entertaining anecdotes.

Notable Quotes:

• Jack Armstrong [35:25]: "I don't care if he's the king of the world. Put on a collared shirt or get."
• Unnamed Contributor [36:29]: "Armstrong and Gettysburg."

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Conclusion

In "Trump Grabbed Them By The Avocados," Armstrong and Getty navigate a diverse array of topics, from the intricacies of gender reassignment surgeries and critiques of Hollywood's portrayal of transgender narratives to deep dives into US foreign policy and the psychological impacts of rising fascist ideologies. Their candid discussions, peppered with humor and personal stories, provide listeners with a comprehensive and engaging exploration of contemporary issues, making the episode both informative and entertaining for those who haven’t tuned in.

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Note: Advertisements and non-content segments have been omitted to focus solely on the substantive discussions of the episode.

Transcript

[Jack Armstrong]

Broadcasting live from the Abraham Lincoln radio Studio at the George Washington Broadcast Center, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty. Armstrong and Getty. And now here's Armstrong and Getty. Hello. Very nice to meet you. I'd like to know about sex change operations.

[Joe Getty]

I see, I see, I see. Men to woman or woman to men?

[Unnamed Contributor]

Man to woman.

[Joe Getty]

From penis to vagina. Is it for you?

[Jack Armstrong]

For me?

[Joe Getty]

What would you like to know about it, madam?

[Jack Armstrong]

I want to know it all. What is the protocol, the techniques and the risks? How many operations? How much time do you need?

[Joe Getty]

Mammoplasty. Vaginoplasty?

[Unnamed Contributor]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Renoplasty?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Laryngoplasty?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes.

[Joe Getty]

Mammoplasty. Control laryngoplasty.

[Jack Armstrong]

What is that?

[Joe Getty]

Adam's apple reduction.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. Yes, yes.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I've now heard the summer anthem that is the sex change song from that movie several times and it. I'm more astounded each time at how dumb those lyrics are. I mean, even for what they're going for, they're so. Did you put any effort into this whatsoever?

[Jack Armstrong]

So, all right, here's the deal. We've been talking about this obvious Oscar bait up with transgender movie.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Amelia Perez tied for the most nominated movie in Oscar history.

[Jack Armstrong]

Joe. I tell you what, brother. So I. I was informed Friday on the show that it is indeed viewable on Netflix, if you dare. And so I thought, you know what? I'm gonna take one for the team.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Well, you watched it home. He didn't go to a theater, correct?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it would have been interesting to see it in a theater. On the other hand, if I'd done that, I'd have had to sit through the whole thing.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Oh, you didn't watch it?

[Jack Armstrong]

Not, not at the first sitting, no.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Then you don't know how it ends.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, I watched almost all of it, but no, I couldn't. It's long. It's long. Here's the deal, here's the story, and you'll get why I didn't watch. And by the way, I watched like an hour and a quarter of it on my Friday night. As a guy with a full time job, Friday night's a thing. All right? I'm like, holy crap, I've suffered enough. I'm going to do something I actually enjoy. I watched a big chunk of the rest of it Saturday night. I didn't finish it.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Anyway, it's a trans movie. Have we mentioned that? Yeah. So yes, that's the Oscar bait part of it. It's like, oh, wow, trans is hot. And Trump is in office now, so we're going to put out a movie about up with trans nominated for all the Oscars. You're so obvious, you people, you don't.

[Jack Armstrong]

Know the half of it. So here's the deal. The movie is about a rough, brutal, very manly Mexican drug cartel boss who secretly dreams of being a woman since he was a little kid to be his true self.

[Unnamed Contributor]

How do they work that in?

[Jack Armstrong]

Hastily. That's one of the things I'm going to tell you about this. This movie has like massive life transitions and decisions and things made in like 12 seconds. It's like perhaps you could move to Switzerland and start a new life. Yes, that's what I'll do. I'll move to Switzerland. And the next thing is you're on the plane and it's like, wait, wait, what? Anyway, so the idea is this brutal drug cartel is aided in his journey toward being a woman, his true self, by his plucky put upon racism affected girl boss undefeatable. I am woman, hear me roar. Attorney who he like kidnaps initially to talk to her and treats rather brutally.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And so is that Selena Gomez? Who is Selena Gomez in this?

[Jack Armstrong]

No, Selena Gomez is his wife in the movie. This is. What's her name from the Avenger movies. Anyway, I don't care about actors any more than I care about orthodontists and Dennis. But so, so I will tell you this about the movie. It's. It's well made. I mean, the. The guy who. The director, whose name I haven't bothered to learn either. Very skillful. But here's the deal. I'll give you a rough plot outline. So he becomes a transgender person, a newly minted quote unquote woman. Here's the deal. You can't change your sex even with all sorts of drugs and operations. You haven't changed it. Anyway, so he, quote unquote becomes a woman. And not only does he become a woman, he becomes a saint. He becomes a brave crusader for helping the families of cartel victims be found. And even if it's their bodies, just so they'll have closure and so they'll know a brave crusader who raises money for this and is saint like and then reintroduces himself into his wife and kid's life as their beloved aunt and is loving and nurturing to them. And he's a perfect person in every way. And the tears are flowing and the child recognizes the scent of his daddy and he cries because he makes but his head does his best to love him.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Well, so did they think they didn't think dad was gone or something like that. They just.

[Jack Armstrong]

Dad faked his own death. Wow. Spoiler alert.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Wow. So he gets a. He must have got quite the operation if he looked so different. They think dad where he were in a dress.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's a different actor.

[Unnamed Contributor]

They got a different actor.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, they got the transgender person who was nominated first transgender person ever nominated for best actress, whose performance, by the way, he's really, really good.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Well, I'm never going to watch this. I'm not. I don't think I quite follow it, but I'm never going to see it, so.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it's. The idea is the most horrible of human beings will be turned into a saint and the finest human being on earth if they can become their true selves through a bunch of brutal operations.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, what are the powerful drug treatments that last the rest of your life and render you sterile in a hundred other.

[Unnamed Contributor]

The reverse being, of course, society forcing someone to be what they don't feel they are is going to cause them to be murderous, torturous, evil people.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Cartel bosses. Yeah. And what's interesting is. And again, like major life events whip by, for instance, that you see a shot of this person wrapped head to toe and you can see through the bandages that they've had serious surgeries. And it's like you've gotta just go at them with knives and scrapers and grinders and a dozen operations and just to make them their true selves. Does that not ring, like, logical to anybody else?

[Unnamed Contributor]

So his wife thinks.

[Jack Armstrong]

But then five seconds later on screen, he's totally recovered and his life is just going great.

[Unnamed Contributor]

That's interesting that they portray the operations as so brutal. I would think since it's an up with Trans movie, they would have downplayed that and made it seem like it's, you know, like getting your teeth cleaned.

[Jack Armstrong]

But they do for like five seconds. Then the person's in perfect shape five seconds later. And then the wife thing as Tia the aunt, comes into the lives of his wife and children because he misses them so much, which is lovely. He, the aunt even asks his wife, did you. Did you truly love him? Did he love you? And this is her husband now, in the Guys of a Woman, this isn't.

[Unnamed Contributor]

The way the whole trans thing works. You don't get an operation and you're so clearly different that you're a different person and nobody would even recognize you.

[Jack Armstrong]

Or even asks, did you cheat on him? And she confides that she did. But now, because being transsexuals change this person into the Jesus figure of all time. They just not knowingly. And you can tell in her eyes, you know what? I probably drove her to that. It's cool.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I'm not going to torture like I would have as a cartel boss.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Like five minutes ago on screen. Yes. And instead I am going to crusade across the Mexican countryside bringing closure to the victims of cartels because I am a saint.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Yeah. The speeches Oscar night are going to be something.

[Jack Armstrong]

You've heard the expression, spreading it on too thick. They spread it on too thick and then triple that.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Wow. So is the song better in context or is it just as stupid in context?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's presented as humor.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Okay. So it's supposed to be funny. Dumb. Well, ridiculous.

[Jack Armstrong]

Odd. Yeah. How that fits into, you know, as. As we both pointed out how that fits into. But it is still a wonderful idea. Didn't exactly ring true to me.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Is this movie in English or subtitles or what?

[Jack Armstrong]

It's. It's actually in Spanish and English. Like everybody's got to read subtitles about 25 of the time.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I hate reading subtitles. All right.

[Jack Armstrong]

Another reason paid attention to phonics. It's. It's very easy. It's. Yeah, it's. It's in Spanish and English and all sorts of different stuff and. Yeah. But it's. It's. It's weirdly off putting and so over the top.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I'm. I'm kind of.

[Jack Armstrong]

I will watch the end eventually. Just out of. I'm just curious. I am kind of this train wreck.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I'm kind of curious at how the brutal cartel boss has shows little glimpses of he's really a woman inside. How they do.

[Jack Armstrong]

He doesn't at all. No. He just sits down and tells her, yeah, I'm actually a woman inside. And they get started on the process.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, no, there's no character development whatsoever. The changes are so incredibly abrupt. There's not like an arc. They talk about a character arc in screenwriting or in movies. No, it's like character pinball. Oh, I'm this now I'm this. Whoa, Now I'm this now.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I had read, and I don't know if this is true or not, that audiences in Mexico are really hating it because it doesn't take the whole cartel thing seriously enough.

[Jack Armstrong]

That is absolutely a legitimate criticism because.

[Unnamed Contributor]

The country has been ruined by these cartels and now they're kind of using it as a side story to the main story, which is trans. Up with trans.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. The cartels are pretty much portrayed as A Mexican family having a beer party. And there are some guys with guns. Wow. Yeah. Just crazy. Hey, a quick word from our friends at prize Picks as we lead up to the big game where there will be much guacamole and modelo consumed. Here's a way to get in on the action when real cash. Prize Picks. So easy, so fun.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Will Travis Kelsey have more than 62 and a half receiving yards? And then will he propose to Taylor Swift? You can't, you can't weigh in on the proposal to Taylor Swift. You can weigh in on the more than 62 and a half yards. That's part of the thing. You pick a couple of categories, you guess more or less. Guess you know the answer. You, you, you, you place your money more or less, and then the money.

[Jack Armstrong]

Rolls in and you need to pick at least two projections, but they're giving you one for free. One of the quarterbacks just has to throw for one yard. And if you're correct on that one other stat projection, you can win real cash. It's easy to understand. Just go to prize picks, grab the app, Prize picks app, wherever you get apps, use the code Armstrong to get 50 bucks instantly after you play your first five dollar lineup. You don't need to win. You get 50 just for playing five prize picks. The code is Armstrong. Prize picks run your game. Some of the songs, by the way, that are nominated are very pretty cool. They're, they're very well written songs. So if you want to put those in, that's fine. They're in service of a. Just a Frankenstein monster of a movie.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Right. Pretty song and just the most sledgehammer version ever that Hollywood is like, come at us with a. Trying to teach us about an issue. All right, we get it. We're on to you. That's why nobody watches anymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, you know what? I got to watch the last several minutes of the movie. I fully expect this cartel boss turned saintly woman to rise up into the clouds and sit at God's right hand. That's really, that's the way they're. They're headed with this.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So it looks like Mexico may have caved in the whole tariff thing. Yeah. If you haven't heard, this just happened in the last few minutes. Mexico's announced they're sending troops to the border. And Trump said, okay, we'll pause the whole tariff thing for a month while we work out the details.

[Jack Armstrong]

Trump grabbed him by the avocados, you know what? And he squeezed. Well done.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I say, okay, more on the way.

Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

Danish scientists have discovered a patch of 66 million year old vomit that's being hailed as a national treasure. Well, that beats us. In America, all we had was an 81 year old piece of crap in the White House. Of course.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Wow. Not the most artful joke.

[Jack Armstrong]

Come on.

[Unnamed Contributor]

From Greg Gutfeld.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I tell you what, I was reading through a list of some of those people he pardoned and commuted the sentences of. They're horrific criminals.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh my God. Just evil. And the victims who are hastily trying to hide or figure out if they're safe or whatever because the people who are supposed to be gone for decades are now coming out into the streets. Just terrible.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Yeah, that's pretty awful. Speaking awful, did you happen to see this? I tweeted it out. So this Russian medic who had been fighting with the Russians against his will for the last couple of years there in Ukraine, found a way to escape and it's really hard to do. And got to France where he's seeking asylum and he's been doing lots of interviews about what it's like on the front lines and what's been going on there. And it is a gruesome account, including videos that he had. He had examples of people being sent to the front and being dead within minutes when you get there, like some 18 year old, you're grabbed off the street and sent there. You know, somebody you take out of prison and you send them there and you're not trained, you don't have any idea what you're doing. You don't even know where you are. You get there and you say you got to run that way and you got a gun at your back, you'll be shot if you don't. You run that way and you get machine gunned by the Ukrainians or blown up by a drone or whatever. But it's just the whole thing that Russians have always done, as we've talked about with Mike Lines, they've done it for a thousand years. They just overwhelm you with people not caring at all for the lives of their countrymen and, and people just running into machine gun fire over and over and over again until you overwhelm them. And just as gruesome as gruesome can be. And then the people who are unwilling to do it, the Russian soldiers who are unwilling to run into machine gun fire, they tie him to trees and this is what he had videos of. And I watched some of it. I had to turn it off because it was too brutal. They tie him to trees and just Leave them there in the winter time, come back, you know, in a day when you haven't had any water and you've been out all night long, and now your feet are so frostbitten, one has to be amputated. You ready to run now toward the Ukrainians or not. Or they beat you? That's when I turned it off, when he was beating the guy in the head with a rifle. But, I mean, to their own soldiers. Yeah, it's just as awful as anything that's ever happened in, you know, on earth is going on right now and literally dehumanizing everybody. Oh, and the. And I. I've been reading about this for a while. I don't know why they're into this, but they're digging these pits with the grates over the top, and they put these Russian soldiers down in the pit with no water, and they come over and they urinate them or they rape them or they beat them or whatever until they can get them to. Okay, do you like this? Or are you gonna do what we ask you to do and run towards the Ukrainians? And any of you out there who are on the side of Putin in this thing, you can make the argument that it's not in America's interest to fund Ukraine and win this war. I disagree, but you can make that argument if you want. But if you actually think Putin's on the good side, you are so misled. He is not a good guy. He's not standing up for anything good in the world at all. He's an evil, evil bastard. God, those videos are hard to watch. Holy cow. But they just have a practically endless supply because they're such a big country of human beings to run. But the Ukrainians have gotten so good at swarming them with drones. That's what this medic was talking about. The Ukrainians, they just have these drones come at you and you know you're going to die, and they. They blow you up.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. You know, that reminds me of something really interesting. I read over the weekend about the appeal of fascism. But the problem of it that we can talk about next half hour maybe, because there are a lot of people on the right, young men in particular, who are getting dragged toward a set of beliefs that is. It's absolutely a neo fascist way to look at things. Can describe that. I thought it was a fantastic argument against it.

[Unnamed Contributor]

We got some highlights from the Grammys last night. Beyonce wins best country album and best album of the year for her country album when she wore the cowboy hat and the Tight pants and the chaps.

[Jack Armstrong]

Attractive young woman. Has anybody ever mentioned that?

[Unnamed Contributor]

Saw that. Good to see her and her husband get some acclaim.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good to see Kanye and his naked. Whatever.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Oh, my God. Completely naked wife. What the hell was that?

Armstrong and Getty?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, it was. It's been run by a bunch of radical lunatics and we're getting them out. Usaid run by radical lunatics and we're getting them out. And then we'll make a decision.

[Unnamed Contributor]

You are not endorsing getting rid of USAID as a separate department which already reports to the Secretary of State, are you?

I would be absolutely. For if that's the path we go down, removing USAID as a separate department and having it fall under whether the other parts of United States Department of State because of its failure. I just went over the numbers twice with you in the amount of aid that actually makes it into the hands. I mean, you could, you could almost say this is a little bit hyperbole, but there's probably more dollars that go towards state dinners around the D.C. beltway than what actually goes into rice and beans abroad. That's the state of what's going on with usaid. And Samantha Powers said no less herself.

So this conversation over the last several days about foreign aid to other countries, there's some ridiculousness on both sides. With my final point being. I'll jump to my final point. I don't care if it's a tiny amount of money, if it's a waste of money, it's a waste of money. It might be all the taxes I ever spend in my life that goes to some stupid thing. I don't want my money going to stupid things, even if it's a tiny percentage. But here's, here's an interesting thing for you before we get into that guy there who was on Face the Nation yesterday. He's a congressperson who was wanting to stop giving money to other countries practically entirely. He's going to list off some of the crazy things we spend money on. But before I get to that, whenever they poll people, how much do you think we spend on foreign aid? Most people. What percentage of our federal budget is giving money to foreign countries? People tend to guess around 25%.

[Jack Armstrong]

Really?

[Unnamed Contributor]

When people are asked, what would you have? Well, maybe you've been doing this long enough. You wouldn't have guessed that, but I would have guessed it's higher than it is. Certainly when people are asked, what do you think it should be? People tend to say 10%. That polling has been fairly steady. People think it's 25. They think it should be 10. It actually is less than 1% of our federal budget that goes to foreign aid. It's not very much, but again, to me, that's not an argument. So give money in stupid ways to countries that doesn't do anything. If it's doing something, fine. But if it's not doing anything, then don't do it. I don't care how tiny the amount. That's the argument I have with the Doge thing. When people talk about this is nothing compared to Social Security. Okay, fine. But if there's an agency with 500 employees that accomplishes nothing and costs $20 million, get the freak rid of it.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, yeah. If I'm still subscribing to Hulu and I haven't watched it in six months, you ought to get rid of it whether it's five bucks a month or 15. Yeah, that's a silly argument. The problem is the. There's a fake argument for foreign aid to begin with. Those of us who are in favor of it, as I've made clear, it is a cold eyed transactional bribe a lot of the time. Sometimes it's actually helping downtrodden people to build goodwill and because we're a nice country. But it's, it's, it's a bribe. You win friends and influence people around the world. That's how you have a happier, more peaceful, more profitable world. But it's sold as this great moral, important thing we do. Because if you sold it the way I just described it, people would say, I don't get it.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Really? That's too bad, because it doesn't seem that complicated. Well, anyway, that fits in with this description of how we spend some of her money. With Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation yesterday.

I will make sure, certainly as the Foreign Affairs Chairman, that we give every single authority as we go through State Department reauthorization to make sure that this moves forward, as well as purging of people throughout the department, other agencies where we're freezing aid, these are all very important and necessary steps to make sure that we secure America. And we're going to support that.

I'm sorry, can I follow up on what you just said there? You want to authorize purging of State Department personnel? What does that mean exactly?

Well, if you want to take a look at the State Department, where DEI has been a priority over, let's say, diplomacy in many accounts, I can give you hundreds of examples of where they were. Sure, let's list them off half a million dollars to expand atheism in Nepal. $50,000 to do, let's see, a transgender opera in Colombia. $47,000 to do an LGBTQ trans comic book in Peru. $20,000 a pop to do drag shows in Ecuador. Shall I continue with more examples of.

Where it seems like there could be a review of things? Foreign aid, as you know, is less than 1% of the entire federal budget.

Then you're back to the, well, this isn't very much money. I don't care. If there's no point to fund a trans comic book in Ecuador, then let's not. But you're saying it's just to make them be our friends. It doesn't matter how they spend it.

[Jack Armstrong]

That was such a beautiful go around. Good for Eric Schmidt of Missouri. The whole Margaret saying, that's not happening. And Eric Schmidt saying, yet is here the examples and her saying, well, okay, but it's not a lot of money.

[Unnamed Contributor]

His name is Ryan Mass. Doesn't make any difference. But he does that like three times with her where they get into this back and forth, and then he starts listing off nutty things that we're spending money on. I particularly liked trans comic books in Ecuador, and it's my favorite on the list.

[Jack Armstrong]

But are they entertaining? That's my question.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Are the comic books good? Yes.

Katie, I don't know about the comic books, but this is reminding me of that interaction with Martha Raditz where she was talking about, oh, well, it's only one apartment building that those gang members took over. It's like they downplayed everything.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And I don't. I don't get how they think that works on anybody. It's $47,000. That's less than 1%. Well, I don't want to spend $47,000 of my tax money on something that's stupid.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Check their ratings and the popularity of the Democratic Party right now. It's not working. That sort of circular, never moving or never ending movement of the gold posts.

[Unnamed Contributor]

But if your point is we bribe a whole bunch of countries to be in our orbit rather than China's orbit, and how the money is spent doesn't really have that much to do with it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it mostly goes to their elites.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I'd like to do away with the ruse. I feel like you ought to be able to make that point to the American people. I think that's a better point to make than trans comic books.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Atheism symposiums.

[Jack Armstrong]

Congressman Mast's point there was that not only it's not being used for the transactional cold eyed realpolitik thing. I'm describing it. It's fallen into the hands of the DEI crowd and he's absolutely right about this. And they're trying to spread this radical left ideology. Yeah.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And the problem with that is in terms of winning friends and influencing people. As a lot of these countries say, we're not interested in being trans friendly. I think we're gonna go with China because they don't tell us how to live our lives. They just give us stuff. They just build us a bridge or cut us a check or whatever. They don't lecture us about gay rights or equity or all kinds of different things you guys lectures about. That's a serious problem, right?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Africa is a great example of that. The warlords down there, they don't, they don't care about any of this crap. They just want the money and the guns.

[Unnamed Contributor]

By the way, in another win, it has been announced today out of Marco Rubio's State Department that Panama has agreed to decouple with China around the Panama Canal. So we might not get control of it, but it's not going to be China running it either. So that might be a win.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Some reinforced safeguards to make sure those contractors at each end of the canal never have the ability to bring it down. That's great. Good progress. Trump's style is bombastic threats. Then he gets reasonable concessions and on we go with our lives. I'm hoping that's the case with the tariffs as we were discussing earlier in the show. I suspect it is, given, you know, Mexico's announcement that they'll put 10,000 of their troops on the border to help enforce the border. Great. Super.

[Unnamed Contributor]

We ought to take a break. I'm wounded psychologically today as I. I just flat can't beat my son at chess anymore. It went from. I'd beat him all the time and I. So I'd kind of take it easy so I'd make it competitive, fun for him to. We're fairly evenly matched to. He beat me so bad Saturday night. It was embarrassing. I mean, it just. It was embarrassing. It was embarrassing for him. Everybody was embarrassed. Let's just change the topic. Yeah, it was a laugher. It was. I don't know what I. I gotta take lessons or something, I guess. I bought him Chess.com a membership on that and he's taking lessons constantly and it seems to be working. But I gotta up my game or he's not gonna play with me anymore.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, that'd be the best thing you could do for him too.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Oh, yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Better opponent. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There you go.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Just, it's just, it's, you know, it's a combination of. I'm glad he's doing well. It's a good. It's an intellectual pursuit and, you know, I'm proud of him. On the other hand, you hate to be. He said you were just beaten by a child.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, wait a minute.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And then he does down dance. And then he has the gritty he gritties around the kitchen.

[Jack Armstrong]

What's that? I don't know.

[Unnamed Contributor]

That was the. The most popular touchdown dance last year before the Trump touchdown dance became the popular touchdown dance.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, okay.

[Unnamed Contributor]

But it is a. Is. It is a touchdown dance is the whole point. In the kitchen in front of me. You were beaten by a child. That's what he says.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. Wow.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And then I tell him to go to his room and tell him no allowance and you're only allowed to eat. Eat oatmeal for the next week. That's what I do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. You're going to Kenzie now?

[Unnamed Contributor]

Oh, absolutely. I want to do a little highlight montage of the Oscars. A couple of song things I want to mention that I thought were interesting, among other things on the way. Stay here, Jack.

[Jack Armstrong]

The game's called Chest.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I don't think it is Armstrong and Getty.

[Jack Armstrong]

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray. I've been for a while. If I was in.

[Unnamed Contributor]

That's Bruno Mars and Lady Jaja. I believe that's the way you pronounce it. Performing California Dreaming. There was a lot of LA California focused stuff because of the fires, obviously. The opening song was really cool. They sang I love la, the Randy Newman song, with a whole bunch of stars doing that, which I found quite entertaining.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes, it sounds very nice. Musical.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Beyonce 1 album of the year and country album of the year. I don't even know. I'm just curious. As a guy who's listening to country music my entire life, I just like to hear the people who vote. It's got to mean something or you wouldn't have different categories, Right? It's got to mean something or there'd be no point in having a country category, a rap category, a pop category.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Then what is it in your mind?

[Jack Armstrong]

What.

[Unnamed Contributor]

What do you think these various categories mean? I don't know. Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

I've long despised the Grammys as an award giving outfit. There's a list of great albums. It's fine. But the awards are always silly. Yeah. I don't Know, I haven't listened to it, but you're more impressed by the album than you thought you'd be.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Yeah, it's very, very, very artsy. It is not interesting. I just thought it was like, be another dance album. It is not.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. Okay, can we all chip in? I mean, give a little or give a lot to buy Kanye West's babe some clothes.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So what is that? Kanye shows up with his wife completely naked in high heels. Like completely naked. Not she's naked, but she's just wearing a revealing dress. No, she was naked. Completely naked. And so what is that? Is that a flex? Look how hot my wife is. Is that a. I can make my wife walk around naked. Misogyny.

[Jack Armstrong]

She seems to be game. I don't know.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Well, yeah, that's always complicated psychologically.

[Jack Armstrong]

Person say it was an effort to recreate his latest album cover, which is her with only a small piece of cloth covering her hind.

[Unnamed Contributor]

He does that. She does that all day, every day. Is he recreating the album cover when they walk through the airport and everything else they do. Katie, you have a thought on this?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Unnamed Contributor]

There was some. Some people talking online about how uncomfortable she looked. If you. If you watch her face and her eyes and kind of the way she's looking around. She does not.

That's funny you'd mention that. Yeah, I. I didn't see last night, but all the other times I've seen her, she looks like she's being forced to do something. Looks like a hostage video. That. That's what makes me uncomfortable. I don't know. He's never been rumored to be abusive in any way or anything like it, but I don't know. She looks like. I don't know. She doesn't look happy.

Oh, no. I just. I did find it funny while they were taking pictures of her, she was wearing a mesh. A piece of mesh over herself, but you couldn't tell. And she kept pulling it down like it mattered, right?

Yeah, it was completely see through. So I don't know what difference it made.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's. That was odd. You know, Kanye is absolutely half a dozen kinds of crazy. If he turned out to be seven kinds of craz crazy, that would not shock me.

[Unnamed Contributor]

I think he's completely nuts. But he's so wealthy he can pull it off.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, could be. So I wanted to get to this real quickly. I thought this was really interesting and a great perspective. And I bring this up partly because Jack reminded me that a lot of young men, especially these days on the right, have been Convinced that what they insultingly refer to as boomer conservatism has failed. The woke have taken over the country. We're doomed, and extreme measures are absolutely justified. The threat against the fatherland is so severe that we must chuck the Constitution and embrace, you know, the new leadership, which is, you know, essentially the call to fascism. And, you know, it's like every good scam. There's a lot of truth to it. But I thought this was a great perspective. The lesson we can draw from fascists fighting communism is this. If you go too far in fighting communism, the communists will capitalize on your decade of error for a century. Communism. Communism needs a boogeyman to fight. I would say, neo Marxism, the woke crowd, whatever they need the racist, the white man, the patriarchy to fight against. That's. That's the only way they can justify themselves anyway. Fascism supplies that boogeyman where it may not have had before. Um, for instance, Hitler's battle with Marxism ended with him putting a bullet in his own brain while the literal Soviet Marxists took over half of. Of his country. The point being the overreach and severe tactics. And we must suspend the Constitution because the threat is so great that always engenders a backlash that's way, way, way bigger than any good you would have done, always. And there's. There's an element to the angry young man politics. It's very difficult to explain to angry young men until they have gotten a little life experience. The slow, steady, two steps forward, one step back thing is really frustrating and annoying. It's also necessary, and I know that will satisfy none in the angry young man community, which is fine.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Right? Yeah. Well, in terms of the looking to Putin as the savior of the world, as Tucker kind of seems to do in his crowd, I just. I just don't get it. I just. I always feel like I'm missing something or like you did a special I didn't see or wrote a book I didn't read or something.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right? It reminds me of how there are differences between the fascists of Spain and Italy and Germany in the 20th century. And you would look at the other guy and say, all right, the important part is he rallied the people, he seized control, he suspended the constitution, and he got the stuff done that needed to be done. He did it wrong in these ways, and Mussolini did it wrong in these ways, and Franco did it wrong in these ways. But our guy, our, you know, uber leader, is going to do it right, and we're going to straighten out the country and lead ourselves into the brilliant future. But it always ends the same way.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Breaking golf news. Joe can weigh in on John fetterman at length. Yes, John Fetterman, senator Pennsylvania, is at pebble beach, apparently in his normal clothes, and it has sparked outrage. His normal clothes being a hoodie and basketball shorts.

[Jack Armstrong]

And is he playing or, I don't know, hanging out?

[Unnamed Contributor]

I don't know. I just saw the headline.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know what context he's there.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And could you play in that down the street? Could you play in that or would they not lay.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no, not at all. No.

[Unnamed Contributor]

And what would they do? They just tell you you gotta go.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, they beat you with golf clubs.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's part of the grand tradition of the game, jack. It's a gentleman's game. No, they just say, I'm sorry, sir, that. That dress is not appropriate. We'd be happy to help you out. What is your size? Here's nice shirt and pants. Here's a belt.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Okay, he's a u. S. Senator.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't care if he's the king of the world. Put on a collared shirt or get.

[Unnamed Contributor]

Okay, that's where you draw the line at golf.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, you let that go. You. The civilization crumbles sudden, you got cats laying down with dogs, etc.

[Unnamed Contributor]

So we do four hours every single day. If you miss an hour, you can grab the podcast. A segment or an hour. You should subscribe. Armstrong and getty on demand and fourth hour on the way and it'll be good.

Armstrong and gettysburg.