What Color Is The Sky In Your World?

Summary

Armstrong & Getty On Demand: "What Color Is The Sky In Your World?" Release Date: April 14, 2025

In the April 14, 2025 episode of "Armstrong & Getty On Demand," hosts Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty delve into a range of pressing topics, blending political analysis with personal anecdotes and lighthearted commentary. This comprehensive summary captures the essence of their discussions, highlighting key points, notable quotes with timestamps, and the dynamic interplay between the hosts.

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1. U.S. Involvement in Ukraine and President Trump's Stance

The episode opens with a heated discussion about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, specifically focusing on President Trump's potential involvement and his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

• Invitation to Ukraine:

  • Joe Getty poses a provocative question: "Would you invite President Trump to Ukraine?" (00:23).
  • Jack Armstrong responds affirmatively, emphasizing the humanitarian need: "Please come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead." (00:28).

• Zelensky's Recent Appearance:

  • Michael critiques Ukrainian President Zelensky's appearance on 60 Minutes, suggesting language barriers hinder effective communication: "He couldn't communicate subtleties. You know, just. That didn't help." (00:44).
  • He reflects on the fallout from Trump's foreign policy decisions, indicating that miscommunication may have exacerbated tensions (00:44).

• Hatred for Putin:

  • Joe Getty accuses Michael of harboring intense animosity towards Putin: "You seem to have a real hatred of Vladimir Putin." (01:34).
  • Michael vehemently agrees, citing the atrocities committed by Putin: "Of course you do. He's seen dead bodies and raped grandmas and everything that has happened." (02:42).

• Impact of Trump's Diplomacy:

  • Jack Armstrong expresses confusion over Trump's diplomatic strategies with Putin: "Yeah, I am completely mystified by Trump's approach to this." (02:37).
  • Michael further criticizes the lack of productive dialogue, labeling Putin as a "murderous, evil lunatic." (07:25).

• Zelensky's Critique of the White House:

  • Michael highlights Zelensky's criticism of the U.S. narrative: "I'm not going along with the White House's altered reality." (08:53).
  • The hosts debate the potential repercussions of Zelensky's stance on international support (06:40).

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2. The Masters Golf Tournament: A Personal Reflection

Shifting gears, Armstrong and Getty share personal insights and experiences related to the prestigious Masters Tournament.

• Jack Armstrong's Experience:

  • Jack recounts attending the Masters in 2022 and 2025, highlighting its exclusivity and unique rules, such as the ban on cell phones on the course: "No cell phones on the course for any reason... you surrender them at a check-in building." (11:19).
  • He praises the tournament's organization and customer service, noting the courteous behavior of attendees and efficient operations: "It's the best behaved mass gathering of human beings on earth every year." (13:04).

• Cost and Accessibility:

  • Jack discusses the exorbitant costs of attending the Masters, mentioning aftermarket prices and the rarity of obtaining passes: "Four or $5,000 for two passes for one day." (15:40).
  • Michael expresses disbelief at the cost, comparing it to other exclusive events: "Yeah, that is something." (16:02).

• Atmosphere and Quality:

  • The hosts laud the quality of amenities, including clean facilities and affordable yet tasty food options: "The bathrooms are better run than most major airports." (14:46).
  • Jack emphasizes the positive interactions with staff and the overall pleasant environment: "A number of volunteers... tell you they hope you have a great time just to be pleasant." (13:19).

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3. Tariffs on Electronics: Economic and Political Implications

The conversation pivots to the complex issue of tariffs on electronics, focusing on recent developments and their broader implications.

• Confusion Over Tariff Exemptions:

  • Michael outlines the mixed signals from the Trump administration regarding tariffs on smartphones and other electronics: "A string of mixed signals from the Trump administration over the weekend regarding tariffs." (24:34).
  • Jack Armstrong highlights the inconsistency in messaging between officials like Peter Navarro and Howard Lutnick: "Peter Navarro said... no exemptions, no inclusions." (25:57).

• Potential Impact on Consumers:

  • The hosts discuss the hypothetical scenario of iPhones costing $3,500 if tariffs are fully imposed: "iPhones are $3,500. Wouldn't people just not buy them?" (29:40).
  • Michael muses on the political fallout if consumers perceive significant price hikes: "That is a huge deal politically, I think." (27:22).

• Government and Corporate Responses:

  • Howard Lutnick clarifies that certain tech products will face separate tariffs under the semiconductor sector: "Those products are going to be part of the semiconductor sectoral tariffs." (28:24).
  • The hosts express skepticism about the administration's ability to manage and communicate tariff policies effectively: "We haven't heard anything about it. And Putin is... giving the middle finger to Trump." (09:02).

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4. Celebrity Space Flight: Humor and Critique

Injecting humor into the episode, Armstrong and Getty critique a recent celebrity space flight involving Jeff Bezos, Katy Perry, and Gayle King.

• The Space Launch:

  • Michael mocks the notion of "chickstronauts," highlighting the trivial accomplishments of the celebrities: "They went to space and came back and did strapped." (18:28).
  • Jack Armstrong ridicules Gayle King's comments post-flight: "What color is the sky in your world? What do things look like in your world?" (20:16).

• Notable Quotes and Reactions:

  • Gayle King reflects on the experience: "What a wonderful world. I see dreams." (19:02).
  • Jack sarcastically compares her reaction to personal childhood achievements: "I was more proud when I won the little league championship." (18:38).

• Humorous Exchanges:

  • The hosts engage in playful banter about the absurdity of the space mission, emphasizing their disbelief and amusement: "That's the most vomit inducing thing I've seen today." (18:08).

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5. Final Political Commentary and Ongoing Issues

Returning to political discourse, the hosts touch upon recent statements by President Trump regarding Russia and Ukraine, encapsulating ongoing tensions and policy debates.

• Trump's Critique:

  • Michael references Trump's assertion that Vladimir Putin wouldn't have initiated the Ukraine conflict if he were president: "Putin would have never mentioned Ukraine or started a war if I had been president." (35:21).
  • Jack Armstrong notes that Trump has continued to criticize Democratic handling of the war and election processes: "He's criticized endlessly Biden and the Democrats for how they handled the war..." (34:17).

• Zelensky's Position:

  • The discussion underscores Zelensky's attempt to distance Ukraine from U.S. narratives, raising questions about international support and diplomatic strategies: "I'm not going along with the White House's altered reality." (08:53).

• Ongoing Uncertainties:

  • The hosts express concern over the lack of coherent strategy and the potential for prolonged conflict: "We're prolonging the inevitable result from happening or, you know, delaying it, and more people are dying." (08:15).

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jack Armstrong (00:23): "Please come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead."

• Michael (02:42): "You hate him. You'd be insane to not hate him."

• Joe Getty (01:34): "You seem to have a real hatred of Vladimir Putin."

• Jack Armstrong (13:04): "It's the best behaved mass gathering of human beings on earth every year."

• Michael (27:22): "That is a huge deal politically, I think."

• Gayle King (19:02): "What a wonderful world. I see dreams."

• Peter Navarro (29:05): "The official policy is no exemptions, no inclusions."

• Howard Lutnick (28:24): "We're going to do that... Make sure those products get reassured. We need to have these things made in America."

• Michael (35:21): "Putin would have never mentioned Ukraine or started a war if I had been president."

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Conclusion

In this episode, Armstrong and Getty navigate through intense geopolitical analysis, personal experiences at elite events, economic policy discussions, and humorous critiques of celebrity antics. Their candid conversations provide listeners with a multifaceted perspective on current events, blending serious discourse with relatable and entertaining anecdotes. Whether dissecting the complexities of international relations or sharing stories from the Masters golf tournament, the hosts maintain a balance that keeps the audience engaged and informed.

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For those interested in the full conversation, the episode is available on iHeartPodcasts under "Armstrong & Getty On Demand."

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.

[Joe Getty]

Would you invite President Trump to Ukraine?

[Michael]

With pleasure.

[Jack Armstrong]

Please come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead.

[Michael]

That's President Zelensky on 60 Minutes last night. That was about the only part he did in English. I think he realizes, as many commentators have said, that part of what went wrong in the Oval Office quite a few Fridays ago, that big dust up with Trump was part of what went wrong was he was trying to do it in a foreign language. He's. I mean, he, his English is okay, but it's not his first language. And he couldn't, you know, he didn't pick up subtleties from them. He couldn't communicate subtleties. You know, just. That didn't help. So now he's not doing that anymore. In 60 minutes, he did it all through an interpreter, except for that one part where I think he wanted to, you know, have a sound clip out there of him inviting Trump to Ukraine. Let's hear a little more and we can discuss.

[Joe Getty]

You seem to have a real hatred of Vladimir Putin.

[Jack Armstrong]

Putin.

[Joe Getty]

100% hatred. Not even 99.9%. Zelensky told us, though this doesn't mean we shouldn't work to end the war as soon as possible and transition to diplomacy. But how else can you see a person who came here and murdered our people, murdered children? We're inside a school bomb shelter right now. The bomb shelter of a school.

[Michael]

You know, I said earlier that I, I don't know if he did himself any favors with Trump. You know, you do have to say the truth, I think, especially about who Putin is. I mean, because Trump, you know, they're in the Oval Office, said, you have such a hatred for him, you hate him. And how can you have a peace deal when you hate someone? How would you not hate Vladimir Putin? You'd be insane to not hate him.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. I am completely mystified by Trump's approach to this, as I have been for a very long time.

[Michael]

Not even 99%. I have 100% hatred for the guy. Of course you do. He's. He's seen dead bodies and raped grandmas and everything that has happened.

[Jack Armstrong]

50,000 children abducted. Yeah.

[Michael]

Oh, my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

Hating.

[Michael]

Oh, my God. That part of the story underreported.

[Jack Armstrong]

Imagine if it was your child friends, little more.

[Joe Getty]

When President Trump called you a dictator and said that Ukraine started this war, what did you think? I believe, sadly, Russian narratives are prevailing in the US how is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war? This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia, Russia's information policy on America, on U.S. politics and U.S. politicians.

[Michael]

I thought it was kind of interesting that his take is that Russia has been successful in their propaganda by getting to politicians in America and the White House. Is that the way you read it? I don't know if I think that's what happened there.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, there's a thread of that because one of the hottest guests in like the hardcore maga podcast circle right now is Alexander Dugan, who is a far right fixture in Russian politics. They called him Putin's brain. He's been calling for a rejection of liberal democracy and like a czarist system and reclaiming all of Russia's empire and glory of the past. He's like the leading light of that. And Tucker had him on and Alex Jones, and they talked in friendly fashion, praised a lot of his ideas. His hook for a lot of folks on the right is that like on both those shows he attacked Wokeism and transgender activists and attacked George Soros, winning praise from the hosts. So there is definitely a threat of that in Trump world, 100%. But there's the idea that Putin is standing up for, ironically, Western ideals and norms.

[Michael]

Christians, right, Absolutely. I agree with that. But I don't think it's a, I don't think it's a Republicans falling for Russian propaganda that pushed this. It's their ins. It's a co agreement of a certain worldview that is working out somehow, which I don't quite understand. Like, I just, I don't get it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, that and Trump wanted to flatter Putin before he started negotiating, which I get. That's fine. That's diplomacy, even if it's a little repugnant at times.

[Michael]

Yeah. Zelensky said. And this is where I don't think he did himself any favors. Now, I was happy to see. So Trump had a long one of his really long truth slash tweets that he put out last night about 60 minutes and how left leaning it is and how it's been sued for billions of dollars and I'll sue him for more. The last several weeks, they've, they've had this story couple and we complained about this. They've had some ridiculous anti Trump stories the last couple of weeks. But. And he this story and the Greenland story last Night, just both house. So they're just like paid working for the Democrat stuff. But he did not criticize Zelensky, which I was kind of surprised because I thought maybe he would. Zelinsky said last night, I don't want to engage in White Houses in the White House's altered reality. I mean, that's the sort of thing Trump could have reacted to. But what is.

[Jack Armstrong]

What is.

[Michael]

You know, Zelensky's got to do whatever he's got to do to try to get help from the United States. So maybe you have to bite your tongue if you think that's the best play. But, I mean, what.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why? It's not very tongue bitey. That last quote you hit us with.

[Michael]

I don't want to engage in the White House's altered reality. I'm just saying I don't. I don't know why you wouldn't say that, other than you think that's gonna do me more harm than good in trying to get help from the United States. It is altered reality.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah.

[Michael]

If you think Zelinsky's a bad guy and Putin's the good guy, you're just flat wrong. And I. I mean, I just. You're just wrong. There's no conversation to be had about that now, if you don't want.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, NATO expanded too much and Russia was threatened. Blah, blah, blah, blah. All right. That could. That sort of thing. That gets worked out diplomatically all the time. And. And was. Putin wants to be the czar of a reunited Russian empire. That's it. Period.

[Michael]

And he's a murderous, evil lunatic.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. In the history of Russian leaders. Yeah. He'll sacrifice the millions. He doesn't care.

[Michael]

Zelinsky's not a dictator who's trying to do anything awful. He'll. When this is over, he'll re. You'll never hear from him again. I would guess he's going to recede into whatever life. Of course. Who knows what rebuilding Ukraine is going to be like, all the murdered people and crushed buildings and institutions and everything like that in that country. I just. I do not understand. I don't even understand how this is a conversation about which side is a good side, is a bad side. I do understand the conversation of it's not our fight or there's nothing we can do anyway, or that sort of. That's all perfectly fair game.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're prolonging the inevitable result from happening or, you know, delaying it, and more people are dying. Yeah. That's a legit argument.

[Michael]

That's a legit argument. I'm not on that side of the argument. I think it's sending the world the message that, yeah, you can take land and you can do anything you want and will and the rest of the world will let you. I think we'll all regret that for maybe centuries to come. But it's a, it's a legitimate argument you can have. But the whole Putin is standing up for Christianity or whatever, I got no time for that. Zero time for that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right?

[Michael]

Yeah. But I was surprised that Zelinsky went as far as he did and kind of poking at the White House. I'm not going along with the altered reality that the White House is putting out. I don't know if that did him any good.

[Jack Armstrong]

Passed more or less unnoticed. I don't know.

[Michael]

It does. Trump clearly watched it and took a pass. And he doesn't take a pass on everything, as we know.

[Jack Armstrong]

One more note on this topic. The whole question of peace talks and Trump brokering it and ending it, whether in 24 hours, he just meant he could end it fairly quickly. Don't take that literally. But it is so on the back burner. I haven't heard anything about it. And Putin is going out of his way to give the middle finger to Trump by bombing the very sorts of sites that allegedly there was an arg, an agreement not to bomb energy infrastructure.

[Michael]

Let's do this story real quick. It's only 20 seconds. Give you an idea what Joe's talking about.

[News Reporter]

Ukraine says two ballistic missiles from Russia struck the bustling city of Sumy as many people were out marking Palm Sunday. Emergency services says more than 30 people, including two children were killed and another 117 people were injured. Ukraine's President Zelensky calling for international pressure on Russia to end the war.

[Michael]

Yeah, early on in the war, you might, might not remember, the use of a ballistic missile was seen as a really big deal because anytime ballistic missiles are fired, you don't know if that's a, you know, a nuke or what till it lands. And that's the sort of thing you just don't fire ballistic missiles around. Now Russia's using them regularly to bomb schools or random cities or whatever and murder people.

[Jack Armstrong]

You're sending two ballistic missiles into Palm Sunday, civilian Palm Sunday celebrations to stand up for Christianity.

[Michael]

Right, okay, whatever. Blast a bunch of churchgoers into bits. Yeah. And so this is just saying to Trump, here's what I think of your peace deal. Speaking of Trump getting, you know, butt hurt over something, I would think that would make him feel more disrespected than whatever Zelensky said last night.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. I wonder what's going on behind the scenes.

[Michael]

I don't know. There's also the what can you do about it? Right Arm Ukraine. The Biden crowd though thought that would lead to World War iii. The Trump crowd might think that too. So I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

And that would be done in concert with the Euros who speaking of butt hurtedness are a bit these days because of the tariff deal.

[Michael]

Yeah. We should take a break.

[Jack Armstrong]

Spicy times, friends. Spicy times.

[Michael]

You want see we're all proletariat. We would like to hear your story about going to the Masters. The most exclusive sports event in the world.

[Jack Armstrong]

I don't know what you mean by that exactly. It's tough to get people like us.

[Michael]

We can't you get a sniff of this sort of thing where you hang out with your oligarchs like you oligarchs hanging out with your oligarch buddies among other things. On the ways to here Armstrong and Getty. The long journey is over. McElroy has his masterpiece.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a tradition unlike any other. Jack.

[Michael]

The Masters, that's a golf match.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's a tournament. We call it. Yes, the, it's the golf tournament. It's my super bowl which is good for me because it's four days long as opposed to the regular Super Bowl. But yeah, I, I Joe Getty, golf freak. Since I was a little kid, you know, I, I worked at a golf course. I we. The idea of membership at some private club was ridiculous when I was a kid, but I just fell madly in love with the game and so it was always my dream to go to the Masters and I went for the first time several years ago, 2022 went again this year just for one day with my sweet wife and we had a lovely time. Couple of things that are especially notable about the Masters if you've never been to it that are both of which are quite amazing. Number one, no cell phones on the course for any reason to do anything with them. You leave them in your car, you surrender them at a check little building you can check in and come and get it after the tournament.

[Michael]

My biggest question for that is why is that unique? Why is that worth mentioning? Why doesn't that happen at like 90% of the things I go to?

[Jack Armstrong]

Right, right. And, and it, it was fantastic. There are a couple of times it would have been lovely to take pictures or whatever, but had a couple of casual conversations with folks that we met during the day and everybody was agreed this Is wonderful.

[Michael]

Everybody always agrees. You come back from a camping trip where you didn't have cell phones or everybody talks about it was so nice, but we don't do it voluntarily. It's crazy.

[Jack Armstrong]

And my understanding is if you are caught with a cell phone, using it or violating the rules, not only are you booted out, but the passes are coded whose passes they are, whether you bought them through the lottery or maybe you're using a friend's or their secondary market or whatever. And whoever's. If you screw around, whoever's pass you're using loses the right to have a pass for from now to. Wow.

[Michael]

So you wouldn't want to just give your pass to anybody then.

[Jack Armstrong]

So it is the best behaved mass gathering of human beings on earth every year. It is astonishing how everybody is kind and polite and well mannered. And when you walk in the gates, they have a number of volunteers that's practically incomprehensible. And people who work there because local school districts can provide the kids working there. And they get contributions from what I understand from Augusta national and the Masters tournament, but I don't know the details on that. But you walk in and before you get to the golf course, because it's a substantial walk through the grounds and all, you will have half a dozen people welcome you to the Masters and tell you they hope you have a great time just to be pleasant. It's crazy.

[Michael]

Yeah. That's really interesting that again that, that stands out as unique an event where they say no cell phones. I. I wish I would catch on.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. It's the best customer service on earth. The bathrooms are better run than most major airports. Air traffic control systems. Between the, the ropes and the hand gestures and the. And they're perfectly clean all day. All of the bathrooms. It's astounding. The food. Now granted you gotta pay a couple bucks to get into the tournament, but the food, the world famous pimento cheese sandwiches are a dollar and a half. You want a fancy pulled pork sandwich that'll cost you three bucks, sir. And so on so forth. It's amazing. I don't even know what the beers cost because I wasn't drinking until we had a wine on our walk out. But what do you suppose.

[Michael]

Do you know what like an average ticket costs? Are they all the same or in.

[Jack Armstrong]

The aftermarket you would pay four figures maybe. Oh yeah, yeah. Four or $5,000 for two passes for one day.

[Michael]

Four or $5,000?

[Jack Armstrong]

Yes. Yeah. It's like a once in a lifetime experience for most people.

[Michael]

Yeah. I'D say it is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Although, you know, as I said to Judy, we, you know, I know a guy who knows a guy. But I said, you know, honey, look at it like this. We're going to hit Broadway show and then having dinner in Manhattan. It's roughly the same amount of money and it's fantastic. You know, what I don't have time to talk about right now was how it was so fantastic because a friend of mine, we're not close, but we know each other and we're friendly, actually qualified for the Masters and was playing in it. And we followed him Friday his entire round as he tried to make the cut because it's Only your top 50 guys and ties that play on the weekend for the actual championship. And he made the cut and it was just so exciting. Fence and his parents were there and I can't, I would have been vomiting like every other hole if it was my kid. But they're, you know, he's obviously been a very good golfer for a long time, so they're kind of used to it. Kind of, sort of.

[Michael]

But wow, four or five thousand dollars for two of you to walk around and watch the, the golf match. Yeah, that is something.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. We didn't, again, we didn't pay that. I probably wouldn't as I'm the thrifty sort, but.

[Michael]

Right. Interesting.

[Jack Armstrong]

It was an amazing experience. If you're in the customer service business, do whatever it takes to get to the Masters once and you'll see how it's done. Armstrong.

[Michael]

And a new report shows that if.

[News Reporter]

Iphones were manufactured in the US they could cost up to $3,500, which is a lot, but remember, your kids would get an employee discount.

[Michael]

That's a pretty good joke.

[Jack Armstrong]

You use a little child labor, a little slave labor, all of a sudden people make fun of you, hey, what are you gonna do? I gotta keep our cost down.

[Michael]

Is your iPhone gonna cost $3,500? We'll get to that in just a second. Here's the most vomit inducing thing I've seen today. So earlier today, Jeff Bezos launched his fiance and some other women into space, including Katy Perry for some reason, and Gayle King for some reason. And they went up into space and came back and they're all alive.

[Jack Armstrong]

You sound surprisingly ambivalent about the survival of the girlstronauts.

[Michael]

Here's the the chickstronauts didn't go into space. They went to the edge of space. They went higher than you go on a plane. Big deal.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, right. No kidding.

[Michael]

New York Post New York Post headline is, Oprah tears up watching Gayle King go to space. I've never been more proud. Why? Why? Because she sat in there and went up and came back and did strapped.

[Jack Armstrong]

To a chair and got shot into almost space. You've never been more proud.

[Michael]

Seriously, what kind of an accomplish is that?

[Jack Armstrong]

She's well known because she's on a TV show. Wow, that's an odd thing to say.

[Michael]

That's what I thought.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was more proud when I won the little league championship in my hometown at age 12 than I would be of Gayle King being shot very high, kind of to space.

[Michael]

Michael's got a clip he says is good. How would you describe it?

[Gayle King]

It's very difficult because you're flying, you're floating. But the best part was when we got back in our seats after zero GS, Katie sang what a Wonderful World. That nice. She said, what a wonderful world. I see dreams. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Oh, because we've been asking her to sing all the time. And she wouldn't. And she wouldn't. And then because everybody said, sing roar. Sing Fireworks. And she said, it's not about me. I wanted to talk about the world. Oh my God. You gotta ask her about that.

[Michael]

I feel like we could do a week's worth of shows off of that one clip. Oh my God. Oh my God. She kept asking Katy Perry, you meet a singer and what you do is you keep asking them to sing some of their hit songs. That's, that's, that's normal.

[Jack Armstrong]

That was one of the most extraordinary and vomit worthy things I've ever heard in my life.

[Michael]

Hey, sing Roar. I'm not gonna sing roar now.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, no.

[Michael]

What, right here?

[Jack Armstrong]

No.

[Michael]

And then whoever was doing that interview when Gayle King says, we kept asking her to sing and she sang one over. She did. Oh, wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's like a different species. I know. You know, I don't. What, what's the, what color is the sky in your world? What do things look like in your world?

[Michael]

Wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, wow. So if I'm, I don't know, flying in a stealth bomber with Mick Jagger, I just keep bugging him. But hey, do Sympathy for the Devil.

[Michael]

Come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

He's like, brother, this is the most advanced fighter plane on earth. We're here to celebrate the fighter plane. Well, how about like, I don't know, waiting on a friend or something? That would make me an effing idiot.

[Michael]

And then he does sing what a Wonderful World and you cry because you're so amazing.

[Jack Armstrong]

I, I, I Don't even know where to start.

[Gayle King]

I know.

[Michael]

That's what I mean. God dang it. You're right. That. That little clip we played is just a world that I think most of us don't understand at all. Any aspect of that.

[Jack Armstrong]

You know, speaking of being a different species. And I know you have something important to talk about.

[Michael]

Okay, Hanson says we got one more Gayle King that might.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah, priorities.

[Gayle King]

I will have to tell you.

[Michael]

Look at the moon. Okay, the moon. Look at the moon. Okay, that. I like that better. I mean, because maybe the moon looks cool from really high. I'm not gonna say space, but I will.

[Jack Armstrong]

I will not mock that. I will knock back. So, speaking of different species, my dog is perplexing me. My dog, Baxter the dog. He's. He's a fabulous watchdog. He's half black lab and half border collie. So he's both incredibly friendly and fairly territorial and protects us. But so.

[Michael]

And can herd your sheep around.

[Jack Armstrong]

He herds us around. Yeah. It's hilarious. Anyway, but so he. One of his things is if he thinks anybody is on the front driveway or the porch, hey, there's somebody out there. There might be somebody out there. Better be cool. Stay away from us. Stay away from us. And if we go out, like, to talk to somebody, you can hear him inside the house. He's just such a protective dog. Well, our big remodel has begun, and they're starting on the outside of the house, and we're like, oh, man, this is going to be nuts. Oh, boy. So there's, you know, half a dozen pickup trucks. There's 15 guys. There's an earth mover. There's guys, like, pounding on the side of the house to get rid of some of the bricks and stuff. He's looking out there. Oh, the construction started. Aren't you supposed to be, like, barking like a lunatic? He just looks at me as if to say, oh, no, no, no, no. You hired these people, you idiot. No, it's fine. They're good. What's the story, dog? It's. It's utter chaos and noise and confusion out there. And you're like, that's fine. Go figure. Yeah, and I'd love to ask him, so why you hear anything in the front and you go nuts. And now it's just routine. All right.

[Michael]

So these headlines came out over the weekend. If you're following the news, and maybe if you're a normal person, you weren't, but I was. And so the first headline from the New York Times, iPhones are about to get more expensive. The future of America's wealthiest company rests on one man with a tricky task. IPhones $3,500. I'm talking about Cook. Two seconds later, the Financial Times has the headline, trump excludes smartphones from tariffs. Okay, okay, well, that's something. So from the Wall Street Journal today trying to nail down this whole exceptions thing. A string of mixed signals from the Trump administration over the weekend regarding tariffs on smartphones, laptops and other electronics fueled fresh uncertainty. Tech investors briefly rejoiced when a Notice from the U.S. custom and Border Protection. It comes from Custom and Border Protection posted late Friday. And they said that computers, tablets, Apple watches, computer monitors, semiconductor equipment and other electronics are exempt from the many tariffs on Chinese products and it'll be a part of the 10% tariff on all stuff.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, that settles that.

[Michael]

And from the I always check in on them U.S. customs and Border Protection people. So they announced like the biggest question people have about tariffs is announced from them late Friday. When asked about the exemption Saturday morning, Trump told reporters on Air Force One, we'll talk about them on Monday. Be very specific then administration officials. He wouldn't confirm that. He said, we'll talk about it Monday. Which made people wonder, well, okay, is it or isn't it? Or why don't you just confirm it? So then yesterday on all the Sunday talk shows, which again, if you have a life you didn't watch, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, said the tech products exempted from tariffs will face separate levies in a month or two as part of a trade investigation. And Peter Navarro said Sunday the official policy is no exemptions, no exclusions. So it doesn't seem like Navarro and Lutnick were even together on what the messaging should be. At the same time on different Sunday shows yesterday, there was no tariff exemption announced on Friday, Trump said in his Truth social platform later Sunday, after all of his people had gone on the Sunday shows with various answers, Trump comes out and says there's no tariff exception that was announced on Friday. So he's saying whatever the U. S. Customs and border production said is wrong or doesn't count or I don't know.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow. And Navarro and Lutnick are often on different pages of the hymn.

[Michael]

Clearly the exemptions, which weren't announced but rather included in guidance with Customs and Border Protection, initially fueled hope that the tech industry could avoid these surges. The again, the border Protection, Customs and Border Protection people, from which I don't think I've ever said that phrase in all the years we've been doing this show. I've never talked about them. They stand by.

[Jack Armstrong]

Except they, they guard the border.

[Michael]

Well.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right.

[Michael]

But I've never quoted them on anything like this. No, I mean anything economic. They say they stand by their Friday announcement. So the Wall Street Journal is completely confused as to what's going on and so is everybody else.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Michael]

And I just looking to see if.

[Jack Armstrong]

There are any updates, but just the clouds part over Apple's stock for now.

[Michael]

So I'm mostly interested in this politically because, you know, the economic thing is gonna shake out over time and it'll either happen or not, but politically that's just not good. Trump can't have on this issue the tariff thing. Most people I think are confused by it, don't know how it's gonna affect them. But if you get like a good solid number about something, you know, so many of us buy smartphones and we find out, Jesus, gonna be three times as much. That is a huge deal politically, I think. So you can't have that out there if it's not true.

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, right. And then there's just, I happen to be reading the Cane Mutiny for the first time. I need to get back to it after watching too much golf this weekend. But. And just the perception is the captain worthy of his command. Are things snapping along in a way that shows that the captain has a plan that's being executed? And some of this is just, it's felt like disarray and confusion obviously. And that's, it's just not a good look for the brand. Right.

[Michael]

I. So how does. So that announcement comes out late Friday. No, no, iPhones don't count. Oh, okay, good. Then Trump says Saturday. I'll tell you Monday. Okay. I don't know why he did it that way. Then he's got two of his experts with different answers, same time, different Sunday shows. Then Trump Sunday afternoon, no exemptions. Okay. Add that Howard Nutty, Nutty to me.

[Jack Armstrong]

Lutnick in clip 52 Michael a wide range of electronics, including smartphones, that these are now exempt from the reciprocal tariffs. Why that move?

[Howard Lutnick]

Those products are going to be part of the semiconductor sectoral tariffs which are coming. That is different types of work. So we're going to do that. We did that in autos. The president's going to do it for pharmaceuticals and he's going to do it for semiconductors. So all those products are going to come under semiconductors and they're going to have a special focus type of tariff to make sure that those products get reassured. We need to have these things made in America. We can't be reliant on Southeast Asia.

[Michael]

That's a lot of words. Do iPhones. Are iPhones going to cost three times as much or not? Because then Peter Navarro said also yesterday, different show, no exemptions, no inclusions. That's the official policy. Trump came out and said no tariff exemption was announced on Friday. So he's saying whatever they said Friday from the border people. Not true.

[Jack Armstrong]

Lutnick, though, seemed to be indicating. Yeah, it's a different set of tariffs. We'll announce those eventually.

[Michael]

Well, why wouldn't you clear that up between Friday night and this morning?

[Jack Armstrong]

Or just have all of that figured out before you trot out any.

[Michael]

Yeah, but just.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's what I'm. That's my complaint.

[Michael]

Just on the face of it, though, before we take a break, I'm interested. What do you think would happen if it came to be true? IPhones are $3,500. Wouldn't people just not buy them? I mean, I wouldn't buy one, no.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'd hold onto mine, hoping that a few years down the road, everything had changed.

[Michael]

But I think everybody would hold on to the iPhone they got. They'd sell like six in the whole country.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right. Well, you have to remember that when you're talking about iPhones and the chips and transistors and all the stuff he was talking about, you're talking about incredibly powerful tech companies, your magnificent seven, and have enormous influence and scads of money. Those companies, a lot of power.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. So, yeah, that. That. That would. That feels a little like the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object. Something would have to give there. I would be shocked if. If anybody, Donald J. Or anybody else would run roughshod over Apple and Tim Cook in America's tech sector, which is one of our shining stars.

[Michael]

Yeah, we gotta take a break. Maybe I'll talk about this later, but I was listening to an economic podcast where they're having the discussion. Some of these tariffs in some sectors are practically an embargo. I mean. Yeah, like what I just said with the iPhone, that's like an embargo. No iPhones, because nobody's going to buy a 3, 500 iPhone. And same way going to China with some stuff and embargoes are considered an act of war. At what point have you pulled off an act of war? If you just put an embargo on big, giant, major sectors, that's a. That's a dicey one. We got a lot more on the way. If you have Any comment on that text line? 415295KFTC.

[Jack Armstrong]

Armstrong and Getty. Hi, I'm Katy Perry. Let's go to space.

[Michael]

Okay, before we get back to that stupid, stupid story that happened like right when we came on the air today, Trump is currently in the Oval Office sitting with somebody, but answering questions about Russia and Ukraine. He said some interesting things.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, my.

[Michael]

Yeah, we'll get to in just a second. But Gayle King, Katy Perry and some other people went into space today. I don't know how they looked so perfect when they came out of that capsule. I think we're gonna find out. They had a stylus on board and as soon as they landed, they took off their helmets and like we got this text. One small step for perfect hair after being in space. One giant leap for giant penis headed rockets. The wow.

[Jack Armstrong]

Oh, that was too direct.

[Michael]

The rocket is like, all rockets are phallic, but this, this rocket is ex. Looks like the most popular wand that they sell on Amazon. Speaking of Jeff Bezos, for women whose husbands don't satisfy them.

[Jack Armstrong]

But wow. Too much in so many ways.

[Michael]

But this might be the clip of the year. I mean, it's certainly in the running. From Gayle King. Talking about Katy Perry, how would you describe it?

[Gayle King]

It's very difficult because you're fly, you're floating. But the best part was when we got back in our seats after zero GS, Katie sang what a Wonderful World.

[Michael]

She did.

[Gayle King]

She said, what a wonderful. I see dreams. Oh, yes, yes, yes. Because we've been asking her to sing all the time. And she wouldn't. And she wouldn't. And then because everybody said, sing roar. Sing fireworks. And she said, it's not about me. I wanted to talk about the world.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow.

[Gayle King]

Isn't that nice? You gotta ask her about that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Wow, you're right. Every phrase deserves discussion. It's not about me. I want to talk about the world. As a buxom purveyor of pop music.

[Michael]

Go ahead. I feel like I could teach a college course on that 30 second clip. But you have something, Katie. Just the way the reporter goes, oh.

[Jack Armstrong]

I bet you all started crying.

[Gayle King]

She's like, yes, yes, we did.

[Jack Armstrong]

I'm glad there's a woman on board to describe your own astonishment at that clip. It's not jumped out.

[Michael]

Oh, my God.

[Jack Armstrong]

Right? Hey, look, I realize we're five miles above the surface of the earth, but I'm out.

[Michael]

I've had a good. I've had a good run. This is it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, you'll be killed. Yeah. I'm counting on it.

[Michael]

That's the why. Yes. You get it. That is amazing. Okay.

[Jack Armstrong]

She did.

[Michael]

I. I don't think I could hang out with you. I don't think we could hang out and have dinner or anything like that. I think we'd drive each other nuts because you're, you're, Your reaction to Katy Perry singing, we don't have to be.

[Jack Armstrong]

Enemies, but we'll never be friends, so goodbye. Goodbye.

[Michael]

All right, so this is important. Before we wrap up this hour, we do four hours every day. This has been three hours. If you miss a segment or an hour, you can get the podcast Armstrong and Getty on Demand. So I think it was a fairly big deal, zelinsky being on 60 Minutes last night with their lead story saying, I'm not going along with the White House narrative on this whole war, that we started it. That was pretty direct. And the fact that Trump has blasted 60 Minutes in multiple texts since last night and not criticized, that is not an accident. He's criticized endlessly Biden and the Democrats for how they handled the war and how Denver started and the war and the election was stolen. And if he had won the election, he did win the election. And if he had been in the war. So he's criticized Zelensky back in the day. He's criticizing Biden, still hasn't criticized Putin. And he just said in the Oval Office, I'm not saying Putin's anybody's angel, but Putin would have never mentioned Ukraine or started a war if I had been president. So he's still not criticizing. You could.

[Jack Armstrong]

He criticized him last week, as I recalled, but more to come. Armstrong and Gettysburg.