Armstrong & Getty On Demand

Episode: You Know Nothing About Clapping Back
Date: December 18, 2025
Podcast Host: iHeartPodcasts
Hosts: Jack Armstrong & Joe Getty (with Katie Green)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on recent political events, media spin, the American economy, and a viral encounter at a Target store in Chico, California. Armstrong & Getty blend their trademark humor, skepticism, and commentary, critically dissecting Donald Trump’s economic messaging, the public’s reaction to inflation, and a controversial internet incident involving a Target employee and customer over a political t-shirt. They also provide updates on their ongoing fundraising drive for Scouting, using creative on-air stunts to encourage donations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Donald Trump’s Primetime Economic Address

Timestamps: 02:43 – 13:14

• Trump claims he “inherited a mess” from the previous administration, blaming historic inflation and loss of affordability on Democratic leadership.
• Jack Armstrong (03:13): “Donald Trump last night, primetime address with the belief that it’s a messaging problem... The economy’s fine. It’s a messaging problem.”
• The hosts debate whether economic anxiety is truly a messaging failure or a palpable consumer pain point.
• Trump’s approach: contrasting “messaging” with the lived experiences of Americans at grocery stores and gas stations.
• Direct criticism of Biden’s border and immigration policies, presented with alarmist statistics about crime and migration (04:32).
• Trump touts planned tax cuts and a one-time “Warrior Dividend” of $1,776 for active military personnel, supposedly funded by tariffs (08:24).
• Joe Getty notes the limitations of political spin regarding the economy:
  “You can’t sales pitch your way through on people’s personal economies.” (11:01)

2. Media Coverage and The Divergence of Headlines

Timestamps: 13:14 – 15:36

• Review of the press’s sharply divided reactions to Trump’s speech.
• The New York Times headline was “bellicose Trump points fingers… lies and distortions,” while the Washington Post focused on a “domestic reset.”
• Joe Getty emphasizes the necessity of consuming a broad range of media:
  “You really have to take in a broad variety of news if you want to know what’s going on.” (15:18)

3. Scouting Fundraiser & On-Air Antics

Timestamps: 15:36 – 16:25, 38:25 – 44:29

• The team is running a fundraising drive for Scouting—specifically for kids unable to afford the fees.
• They tease unique incentives (and mild punishments) to spur donations, including reading software licensing agreements in increasingly obnoxious voices, and promise poorly played Christmas music on trombone and violin.
• Jack Armstrong: “The idea is we’re going to put something on the air that you want to stop. And to get it to stop you have to go to armstrongandgetty.com and donate money to scouting.” (24:45)
• One segment features Katie Green reading a Netflix licensing agreement in various irritating voices until enough funds are raised (40:45 – 43:09).

4. Viral Target Incident & Internet Outrage

Timestamps: 25:06 – 33:35

• A confrontation at a Target in Chico, CA, goes viral:
  A younger woman berates an elderly employee for wearing a Charlie Kirk t-shirt, accusing Kirk of racism and demanding the worker be punished.
• Armstrong & Getty criticize both the customer’s behavior and the internet’s overzealous response, which includes thousands of angry calls to the customer’s employer and extensive doxxing.
• Jack Armstrong: “I couldn’t hate you more.” (27:15), reacting to the berating customer.
• The hosts argue against mob justice, noting it’s both excessive and pointless.
• The elderly Target employee, Gene, responds to her sudden fame and the backlash by refusing to retaliate:
  Gene: “Two wrongs don’t make a right. You know, she wronged me, but I don’t want to wrong her...I really wouldn’t want to see her...lose their job over it.” (30:26)
• A GoFundMe for the employee tops $127,000 (31:09), which the hosts view as “America...puts their dollars in the jar of whoever they like the best.”

5. Social Commentary & Broader Observations

Timestamps: 32:00 – 35:30

• The hosts reflect on social polarization, the permanence of internet notoriety, and the binary nature of online “support” via crowdfunding.
• Armstrong asserts indifference to political slant:
  “If you had some nice old black woman wearing a BLM t-shirt and some right winger came along...I would feel exactly the same way. Exactly.” (32:00)
• They observe how media coverage is selective: if the political roles were reversed, coverage would be wall-to-wall.

6. Lighter Segments: Sports, Marriage, and Daily Life

Timestamps: 19:34 – 22:18, 34:40 – 35:38

• Discussion of football headlines, aging athletes (Philip Rivers), and sports media hype.
• Humorous side conversations about marriage, arguing that “the best part of being married is having a permanent person to debrief with after any social event.” (34:50)
• Musings about how much healthier it is to share dislikes with a partner than shares of interests.

7. Preview: Dynamic Pricing and Consumer Data

Timestamps: 44:29 – 46:10

• Tease for a future discussion on dynamic in-store pricing—how algorithms and personal data determine what a customer pays, even for mundane items like peanut butter.
• Raises ethical questions about price discrimination and manipulation based on customer profiles.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Joe Getty (on economic pain):
  “I wonder in my own life at what point I’ll stop being surprised when they bring me the bill at a restaurant or when they give me the total at the grocery store. I still am surprised as of today.” (12:11)
• Jack Armstrong (on cancel culture & internet mobs):
  “It practically starts overboard and just turns into angry mobism on this woman.” (25:30)
• Gene, the Target employee:
  “Two wrongs don’t make a right. You know, she wronged me, but I don’t want to wrong her.” (30:26)
• Joe Getty (on fundraising stunts):
  “We’re not gonna stop until you raise a certain amount of money. And that’s what we’re going to do here with Katie Green. Except she’s not going to play an instrument. She is just going to read from the licensing agreement...” (39:57)
• Jack Armstrong (on dynamic pricing):
  “Every single item you sell, you do basically a negotiation with each and every customer.” (45:12)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump’s Economic Speech Reactions: 02:43 – 13:14
• Media Headlines Analysis: 13:14 – 15:36
• Scouting Fundraiser Announcement: 15:36 – 16:25
• Sports and NFL Commentary: 19:34 – 22:18
• Viral Target Incident: 25:06 – 33:35
• Scouting Fundraiser On-Air Stunt: 38:25 – 44:29
• Dynamic Pricing Teaser: 44:29 – 46:10

Tone & Style

• The episode features the hosts’ signature blend of sharp skepticism, humor, and cynicism.
• The style is conversational, often self-deprecating, and layered with both biting observation and genuine concern for societal trends.
• Moments of levity—improvised gags about fundraising punishments, marriage advice—interweave with more serious critiques of political, economic, and cultural phenomena.

Summary

This Armstrong & Getty episode is a brisk, wide-ranging snapshot of current economic, political, and cultural currents. It skillfully weaves political critique (particularly around Trump’s economic message and public polling), media dissection, real-world examples of social media’s downsides, and the old-fashioned mechanics of fundraising—always with a comedic edge. The viral Target incident serves as an anchor for exploring cancel culture, internet rage, and virtue signaling, while fundraising shenanigans showcase the lengths the hosts will go to for a good cause. Ultimately, the show underscores Americans’ skepticism toward messaging, familiarity with inflation, and weariness with outrage-driven news cycles.