September 22nd, 2026

Rough transcription of Hour 1

Segment 1
Hello, America. Mark Levin here. Our number 877-381-3811.  877-381-3811. I hope those of you who celebrate, I guess is the word Yom Kippur. And a good, great service, an event I know we did with our bad rabbi. I am Cohen. It was fantastic. And as Jews know, most Gentiles probably know, but maybe not is the holiest of they. Holy holidays that we we choose, you know, abide by, adhere to celebrate. Great day of atonement. So here I am, freshly attuned. All right, ladies and gentlemen, I want to talk to you, Mr. and Mrs. America, and talk straight about a few things. Number one, when the war in Iran began. Spectacular things took place for a period of about three or four weeks. In what was a massive military operation with our allies, Israel, side by side. Doing massive destruction to the Iranian war machine. Khamenei was taken out less than 24 hours. As was much of the upper tier of the regime. For reasons. Never really articulated and unknown to a lot of us. Particularly who those of us who supported this effort and still do. There was a sudden stop to military activities. I mean, very sudden. And attempts to negotiate with the regime, which went on for a significant period of time with a couple of. Stops in between for two or three days of military action. General Cooper, who is the head of CENTCOM and really who oversees direct action there. He said in two or three weeks they would have hit all the military objectives. But it was stopped. And the envoys were sent and the VP was involved and we had negotiations. His time went on. At one point we had a memorandum of understanding. Yours truly was one of the loudest critics of this. First of all, it was withheld from us. And then secondly. The details didn’t make any sense to me, and I went through them both here and on television. The you eventually. Eventually. What? How do I even put it? It went the way of so many agreements with the Iranian regime on its own, really. On its own. Really? And so we’ve we’ve gone back and forth now we have for some time an economic boycott. In many ways and sanctions and blockade. Against the regime, hoping if we choke it off enough economically, they’ll come to the table or it might even collapse. It’s gone on for a long time. And in part that has caused the price of gasoline to go up and diesel fuel. But not in and of themselves. There have been other reasons for it, particularly diesel fuel in the war between Russia and Ukraine, as the president has pointed out. We’ve reached another point. As the president stated at the U.N. today, he says, I have a big decision to make. And that decision is whether negotiations can can achieve something significant or I obliterate them. Now, we’ve heard this sort of thing before, right? And. We now have a report that I’ve just read, I believe it was in New York Post. That the Arab states again urging the president not to take that kind of military action. And they have urged the president really from the from the beginning not to take military action. And I think they’ve had undue influence on the administration, on on the envoys, as has Turkey. Now, that said, the president has done more to address the Iranian regime and its nuclear program than any president. Since 1979, that is. And in the history of this battle where Iran has really fought a one way war against us and we barely reacted as they killed American citizens and American military personnel, we did very little in response. That’s not the case anymore. That’s very important to understand. That’s number one. Number two, economically, they are in a grave situation. Certainly the people are, but the people are different than the regime. The regime seems to keep plugging along. There is that. Number three, the president has been undermined by the isolationists in our party, as well as the Democrats who have desperately sought this result because they believe and know that it helps them electorally and in the polls. So when you hear these things about, well, you know, gas prices are up and it’s the war and so forth and so on. This is exactly what the Democrats have been pushing for and why they have given aid and comfort to our enemy, actually, all of our enemies. But this enemy in particular. And the isolationists have done exactly the same thing. When you start a war, you get to finish the war or you wind up with a forever war, or you wind up with a defeat. And this is what we’ve been trying to avoid, right? You’re not going to be able to contain the Iranian regime. Not by economics. By themselves. It’s not going to happen. This is why I’ve said now six, seven months. Mr. Producer, arm the Iranian people. Because we know in the past the Reagan doctrine has worked and it helped him bring down the entire Soviet Union. It worked in our hemisphere. Worked in northwestern Africa. It worked in Afghanistan. Arm the freedom fighters, arm the people, arm the resistance, arm the opposition. But we haven’t done it. I think too many of the advisers in the White House and elsewhere are doves. They’re pacifists. They’re isolationists. And I don’t think their advice has been particularly good. I also think if we have generals who choose not to win this war, I don’t know how to win this war. And I’m not talking about Cooper. I’m talking about Keane in particular. Then you replace them with generals who can and will. Presidents have done that in the past, including Lincoln during the Civil War. But even during World War Two. FDR, the fire marshal, might from time to time move generals around and put them in different priority positions based on their their capabilities. We have generals today that have never won major wars because we haven’t won major wars in a long time. So many of them aren’t used to it. They may not know how to do it. I don’t know if that’s the issue. I don’t know if the lobbying. Internal to the White House is the issue. I don’t know if it’s the CIA and other intelligence, and it is that we have if they’re risk averse, I don’t know what it is. But this situation cannot go on forever. Even though we have think tank types all over the Internet saying, We’re winning, we’re winning, let’s keep doing this, let’s keep doing this, Just be patient. I will tell you this. We are winning. But why should we be patient? Why don’t we finish them off? Being patient doesn’t guarantee anything. Defeating them guarantees victory. And that’s what I believe. We’re so close to the midterms now six weeks away. And this isn’t the only thing. It requires focus. There are other things to. I’m noticing something I’ve noticed in the past. That’s some of the rhinos. Real rhinos, not what these fools call rhinos. Republicans in name only. Basically, those are liberal Republicans. I notice that several of them are now trying to find their own path. That is a disaster. There’s no great demand in this country, I don’t think, in any district for a rhino. There need to be stark contrast made with the enemy, and the Democrat Party is the enemy. There need to be stark contrast made. Not confusing and confounding the voter. And I think it helps when we. Talk up, madame. And. Somehow highlight him when he is the enemy. He’s a Marxist Islamist. He’s a Jew hater. He’s destroying the city of New York. He’s an American hater. He’s an Italian hater. He’s a Christian hater is all those things. I really don’t think. That that provides the stark contrast that we need that we must have. There are good guys in there. Bad guys. We’re the good guys. They’re the bad guys. And the bad guys need to be defeated, whether it’s the Iranian regime or whether it’s the DSA in the Democrat Party. So we’re starting to see some rhinos. Who seem to think it’s smart politics to run on their own. What should they run on, Mark? They can run on a number of things. They can run on solid conservative principles. They ought to try that from time to time. And there are many, many accomplishments in this administration. Economically as well. That can be highlighted and should be highlighted. If you want to be a senator, for example, you have to have the ability to articulate your positions and contrast them with the opponent. And these opponents are really weak. I just find it outrageous that so many of them are incapable of it. But we can get the sense of what’s going on right here on this program. On the Mark Levin program. We’ve put out offers. I don’t beg people that come on this show ever. You have some house and look at this address and this guy’s here and I’m this and I’m that. I don’t focus this show. Look. It’s the Mark Levine Show, but it’s really the American people’s show. That’s what it is. So you got people who want to be seen and heard. I’m not somebody needs to be seen or wants to be seen. And I need to prove myself. Respect your audience. Respect your audience’s intelligence. That’s the way I roll. That’s the way I roll. But I want you to understand and some of these people had been on this program before that some of these rhinos. Who had been in touch with us are no longer reachable. They’re no longer reachable. So what are they doing there? Resorting to who they are and what they believe will win. And it won’t win. It’s not going to help them. It’s simply not going to help them. Now while the left tries to create this program, me is controversial, and that’s what they always do to us. That’s what they do, too. Did the Goldwater and Reagan. And Buckley and Trump? No. What I say is. Is factual. What I say is. It’s something that most of you agree with. But if somebody’s trying to play clever, they’re not going to win this election. It’s not going to happen. We’ll be right back.

Segment 2
The Arab countries have had way too much influence. What we’re doing in this war on multiple occasions, and for reasons I do not understand, we listen to them. Obviously, they’re worried about their oil facilities and their populations and so forth. But. The Iranian regime has killed an awful lot of Americans, threatens us with nuclear war. What was that phrase the vice president used, Mr. Producer about a lineman? The Arabs are not aligned with us. That’s not our interest. And they’re going to do damage to these oil facilities no matter what. And I’ve told you this many times before. None of this is new to you. They are hoping the Democrats take one or both houses of Congress. And then you’ll have Republicans running for the hills. And that will put an end to the war. That’s the hope. You’re going to have isolationists woke right types in the Republican sphere doing the same thing. Everybody blame us for that. You know, the the Trump administration and his war effort for. So. Personally. This isn’t the way I would do this. I would just tell the Arab countries that we’ll do everything we can in a defensive posture, but in in their case. But they we need to take this regime out. There were no real grave downsides to training and arming the Iranian people. And I think, as I’ve said for months to you, Mr. and Mrs. America, this will be the greatest question I think history will have If we’ve not been doing it, though.

Segment 3
I’ll just read to you what I just posted or we’re posting right now and I speak with you because I tell you what, I honestly feel that’s the way we work here. Certainly one of the questions military historians will have in the decades ahead is why we did not arm the Iranian people early in this war. A tremendous asset left out of the war effort. There doesn’t appear to have been any great effort to undertake this and why we sidelined the Israelis another huge asset. There was no reason to tap the brakes early in this war, and expectations of negotiated settlements were overblown then. All the talk about nonexistent off ramps may be time for some new advisers. It’s worth a thought. You think that’s to to out there? Mr.. But I don’t. And it’s really consistent with everything I’ve been saying for months, for literally months. So there needs to be sort of a counterweight to the isolationists and the pacifists in the administration and outside the administration. That’s what I think. U.S. holds 3 hours of talks with Iran on the sidelines of the U.N. after Trump threatened to drive them into hell during a speech. Well. Let’s see how that turns out. You know, every time we have this challenge made. We talk about it, we sit on the edges of our seats and. They’re not going to be driven in the hell they have to be destroyed. And in order to destroy them, it also takes. People inside the country seeking to destroy them. Being armed and overtaking them. And one of the reasons I’m troubled by the sidelining of the Israelis is because they they knew where a lot of these bodies were buried. So to speak. And maybe they’re still providing us with that information. But, you know, I don’t I’m not aware of too many major military operations where we’ve been incredibly successful, where we have sidelined one of the most effective allies on the face of the earth. Why? Because Saudi Arabia doesn’t like it. Because Qatar doesn’t like it. Because Turkey doesn’t like it. Who cares? Who cares what they like or don’t like? We need stark contrast to win this election. Stark contrast. Between us and them. I was surprised at the extent to which the president manned army met and talked. And I don’t see man dummy patting the president on the back. I don’t see Mamdani. Talking about? Certainly not publicly. All the wonderful things that he and the president, the Republicans can do together. The president continues to put his hand out, pats him on the back and so forth. I don’t see. An equivalent response. But that’s not even my point. My point is he’s a Marxist Islamist. His Jew hatred is through the roof, as is his wife. His attacks on Netanyahu being a war criminal are just outrageous. What he’s done to the city of New York already. And Republicans all over in New York and in the city are running for office, pointing out what a disaster he is. It doesn’t help them. When you said how we can work together and so forth and so on, when you won’t work together. And if the Democrats win the midterm elections, Mondawmin and the DSA and the Democrats are going to go full bore trying to destroy the president, his family, the presidency and everything else. And everything else. He’s again, he’s not somebody you can make a deal with. He’s a revolutionary. In my view. In his view. You got candidates running, you got Bruce Blakeman, a tremendous candidates running for governor who lays into this guy Mirchandani lays into Hochul. And so you’ve got people out there might be on the fence, might go one way or the other. Not a lot, but I bet a few. And that’s enough reason why. Well, now, wait a minute. You know, today this was said about Mamdani. Regardless of what Blakeman says or somebody else says, you see my point? Which. So the Republicans, the administration, they need to be on message, consistent, pounding away, pounding away, exposing these people. They don’t even have to. You know, deceive anybody about who these other people are. They are they are rabid revolutionaries. They are extremists. And you need to make that stark contrast if you’re going to win, especially if you’re going to win in a in a marginal district, a marginal state. Or even in a purple or blue state or district. You’ve got to make these contrasts. Or why would a Democrat vote Republican? They can say, okay, well, if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me. There need to be stark contrast made. So what I’m seeing when I see the rhinos kind of pulling out on their own, I see some confusion about messaging and a lack of stark contrast being made. It’s worrisome. It’s troubling. And we’re going to do everything we can to rally and to push get the vote out. But. Everybody has to have their or in the water going in the same direction, paddling the same way. Paddling the same way. Circling back, the Iranian regime would love nothing more than the Democrats to take the House and the Senate and Netanyahu to lose his election bid on October 27. That will be a victory for them. And there’s no question about it. It will be a victory for them. No question about it in my mind. And we have a lot of things to run on, to run on and against. With the Democrat Party. The radicalism. Their policies, plus so many of the policies that have been put in place by the president, the Republicans have been absolutely superb. Absolutely superb. And pick three, four or five of them and ram them home. Keep hitting it, keep hitting it, Keep hitting it. But we can have at the federal level, you know, embracing Mamdani at the state level, trashing Mamdani at the local level, trashing him. And then we can have these rhinos who go off on their own. And. You know, undermine the. The unity of the party and so forth and so on. And this is what’s happening. Then we have another fact. The woke right are EIC each. Many of them won a defeat for the Republicans because they view it as a victory for them. They also view it as an opportunity for them and they are going to say see? Trumpism doesn’t work. Conservatism doesn’t work. This doesn’t work. The Republican establishment, everybody’s a RINO. They don’t know what the word means. So they throw it around. Everybody is a RINO. Follow us. The Nationalist Populists. We’re not that big on the Constitution either. You know they’re not. We’re not that big on capitalism either. We think socialism. Lt’s the way to go. You’ve heard them. You’ve heard them. Forget about Israel and the Jews embrace the Islamists and Islamism. That’s the future. That’s where the votes are. That’s their position. That’s who they are. And they will view this as a defeat for the Republicans, as an opportunity for them. To remake the Republican Party, which would be a complete disaster. We even we have enough trouble as constitutional conservatives dealing with the Republican Party. But that’s their goal. That’s their goal. Big problem. We’re steady, Eddie. Here. I can’t control what the Republicans are doing. I can’t control what the White House does. I can’t control. What we do at the state level and so forth. I’m not a general. I can’t control this war. I give you my opinions on what I think are the best ways to approach these things based on my historical knowledge as well as experience that you and I have witnessed. And whether it’s the war or whether it’s the political process. You know, I’ve I’ve witnessed a lot and some of you and we’ve talked about it together for nearly a quarter of a century. We know how to win. You and I. We know what it takes. But do the others. I’ll be right back.

Segment 4
Now, the one thing that can change everything, in addition to what I’ve said about what I feel the Republicans need to do. And the White House needs to do. Is that? That is, we need to turn out and vote. We we must not be dispirited. The other side seeks to do grave damage to our country, to our lifestyles. To the lifestyles of our children and grandchildren that. Should be reason enough to vote. Now, for a lot of people it’s not. But for us it should be. And we are not going to accept surveys and polls. As the final. Decision makers. We are the final decision makers. Okay. So we will make these decisions. Now, the truth is, I can’t reach 330 million people. I can’t reach 180 million people. We can reach 14, 15 million people. Not all of whom can vote. For a number of reasons. Age or whether they’re citizens or not. But when you think about it, if each of you can convince ten or 15 people or at least talk to them. Then we’re in business. Then we’re in business. And that’s why I’ve always said that you’re the Thomas Paine’s. You’re the Paul Revere’s. You’re the people, Mr. and Mrs. America that can they can make things work and make sure the trajectory is right. We are always underestimated on this program and conservative talk radio. President doesn’t underestimate us. Governor DeSantis doesn’t underestimate us. I had a good talk with him today. Senator Cruz doesn’t underestimate us. I had a good talk with him today. I’m just pointing out. That the Internet world and the podcast world very, very toxic. Very, very focused on young people, even many who can’t even vote. But we are focused on everybody. Everybody. And so it is important. That we win the midterm elections. It is important. That we not be dispirited. It is important that no matter. What happens overseas, no matter who meets with whom, no matter if a candidate is going their own way rather than the right way. That we do what we must do. And vote for the Republican on the ballot even if you have to hold your nose. Because the Democrat on the ballot in virtually every single circumstance is not only worse. They are going to vote for leadership. That will be a disaster for the country. What’s on the ballot is the Supreme Court of the United States and its independence. What’s on the ballot is whether we maintain a secure border or another open border. What’s on the ballot is whether they turn Obamacare into a national health care program and destroy all your private health insurance and drive up costs that are unbelievable. What’s on the ballot is your right to vote and to have an impact. If you live in three fourths of the other states because they want to change that to what’s on the ballot is whether there is a permanent majority in the Senate. By creating four more Senate seats in D.C. and Puerto Rico, or whether you’re going to be able to have a Republican majority at some point. What’s on the ballot is capitalism. Versus socialism. What’s on the ballot is Americanism versus Marxism. What’s on the ballot is whether you’re a constitutional conservative or a national. Neo Con Woke Right. Authoritarianism. All of this is on the ballot. All of it. We’ll be right back.