Mark Levin Podcast — January 22, 2026

Episode: The Art of the Deal: Trump, Greenland, and Arctic Security

Overview

This episode sees Mark Levin deliver a wide-ranging and characteristic commentary on the state of U.S. defense policy, Trump’s deal-making tactics regarding Greenland and the Arctic, ongoing threats from Iran and China, immigration enforcement, and domestic political battles. Levin is joined by Senator Bill Hagerty for a deep dive into Iran, ICE, and Democrat voter strategy. The episode is filled with urgent warnings about geopolitical threats, frustration at media and political opponents, and reflections on America’s foundational values.

Levin’s key focus is on what he calls the “art of the deal” as exhibited by President Trump, particularly in international security contexts like Greenland and the Middle East, and the broader existential struggles facing American sovereignty.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Winter Storms & Personal Anecdotes

• Levin opens with humor about upcoming snow in Virginia and muses about aging and health concerns, connecting to a message of prudence:
  • “...Do not shovel snow if you have heart issues ... because it could be the last time you do anything. But I find that to be the case.” (04:03)
• Light-hearted take on panic-buying:
  • “People act like they’re gonna be gone for a month or two. You’re not.” (05:23)
• Sets the tone for balancing everyday concerns and global crises.

2. The Crisis in Iran & Broader Middle Eastern Instability

• Levin denounces the Iranian regime’s repression and violence:
  • “These are animals. They’re not even animals. They’re subhumans, these killers.” (10:37)
• Describes atrocities committed against the Kurds and the ongoing threat of ISIS in Syria.
• Asserts that the Iranian regime’s belligerence and threats toward the U.S. and Trump cannot be tolerated:
  • “Any foreign government that talks to us this way needs to be dealt with.” (09:16)
• Expresses frustration at American media and political apathy. Calls for U.S. and allied military action:
  • “I’m hoping still ... that we will blow this regime off the face of the earth.” (09:34)

3. U.S.–Israeli Defense Cooperation & Trump’s Defense Budget

• Outlines the value of U.S. defense aid to Israel, arguing the U.S. “gets back 10 times the value” in technology and battlefield experience. (13:05)
• Stresses Israeli contributions to missile and laser defense, highlighting Iron Dome origins.
• Discusses the Trump administration’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget:
  • “If enacted, this would be the largest peacetime defense budget increase in history, surpassing ... Reagan’s buildup.” (15:07)
• Highlights the need to face new threats from China, Russia, and Iran, and the dangers of inadequate force structure and munitions shortages.
• Draws historical comparison to the transformative investments of the 1980s.

4. Trump, Greenland, and the Struggle Over Arctic Security

• Explains Trump’s negotiating tactics regarding U.S. interests in Greenland:
  • “Does anybody think he’s going to send troops to Greenland? Does anybody think he’s going to bomb Greenland? What’s he doing? It’s the art of the deal.” (20:51)
• Notes the importance of Greenland’s geography and resources, the Russian and Chinese military build-up in the Arctic, and the need for U.S. presence and sovereignty over strategic “pockets” for defense and commerce.
• Criticizes Democrats and media for ridiculing Trump’s approach, but credits him for bringing the issue to negotiation and comparison with U.K. bases in Cyprus.
• Memorable quote:
  • “There’s not a Democrat who wants to be president who would have thought of it or done it.” (24:49)
• Discusses similar assertions about Panama and the now U.S.-controlled Panama Canal.

5. The Board of Peace & Middle East Strategies

• Trump (via interview clips) claims Hamas agreed to disarm and touts peace efforts in the Middle East, with 59 countries involved:
  • Trump: “They’ve got to do it. And... if they don’t do it, they’re going to have ... They’ll be blown away very quickly.” (27:25)
• Levin pushes back, expressing skepticism and highlighting continued threats from Hamas and other Iran-backed groups:
  • “Blown away by whom? ... We’re going to have to rely on the Israelis again.” (27:30)
• Levin skeptical that disarmament or lasting peace is achievable, noting that Hamas and similar groups are already rebuilding and rearming.
• Memorable exchange on peace in the region:
  • Trump: “We have peace in the Middle East now. And you might have Hamas. We have...”
  • Levin: “Well, you don’t have peace in Iran. You don’t have peace in Syria, that’s for sure.” (30:14)

6. ICE, Immigration, and Domestic Law Enforcement

• Levin aggressively defends ICE and U.S. border enforcement, criticizing left-wing protests, Democrat politicians, and legal threats to ICE.
• Describes ongoing protests as orchestrated, funded by “Soros crowd, Islamist crowd, Marxist crowd, billionaires” (37:38), and likens anti-ICE efforts to insurrection:
  • “They are rogue, they are violent, they are obstructing. They’re insurrectionists.” (40:32)
• Criticizes proposals (e.g., “Melt ICE Act” by Rep. Delia Ramirez) that aim to restrict ICE’s authority:
  • “So now when you are enforcing federal law ... you’re terrorizing these people.” (69:57)
• Attacks the exploitation of birthright citizenship and chain migration, warning it will permanently alter the U.S. political landscape.

7. State Politics & Voter Manipulation

• Decries proposed voting reforms in Virginia and other blue states as schemes to ensure permanent Democrat dominance:
  • “They want to change it to that kind of a voting system ... They’re so friggin corrupt it’s not even funny.” (43:13)
• Bemoans the influx of illegal immigrants and rise in welfare dependency among Afghan and Somali communities, citing statistics:
  • “85% of Afghani families with children are on welfare ... Now it wasn’t that long ago that if you were coming to the United States, you couldn’t go on welfare...” (44:40)

8. The Threat from China – Military Training & Influence

• Highlights revelations from Peter Schweitzer’s new book, “The Invisible Coup,” on Chinese military pilots being trained in U.S. flight schools:
  • “Thousands of Chinese pilots are trained every year in California and Arizona, strengthening the CCP’s ... military.” (73:58)
  • “How the hell do these people get away with this? ... This is suicide. Suicide.” (80:07)
• Outraged over American institutions’ and government’s complicity, warns of “revolution by immigration.”
  • “It’s a cancer eating from within.” (76:46)

9. Conversation with Senator Bill Hagerty [47:33 — 66:27]

Key Segments:

• On Iran:
  • Hagerty: “President Trump is certainly making [action] an option. He’s moving two carrier strike groups into the region. That is an impressive show of strength. ... The only thing that works with them is maximum pressure.” (48:00–48:57)
• On Democrats and ICE:
  • Hagerty agrees that leftist protests against ICE are well-coordinated efforts to destabilize and distract ahead of elections.
• On Democrat voting reforms:
  • Levin: “They basically ... have two Democrats running against each other while these people run around and talk about the right to vote ... These people play for keeps, don’t they?” (54:18)
  • Hagerty: “...it’s clear this is a top priority for Democrats ... unlimited mail out ballots ... No limits on ballot harvesting ... We blocked it. But it’s clear this is a top priority for Democrats.”
• On Obamacare and Government Shutdowns:
  • Hagerty criticizes subsidies paid directly to insurance companies, calls the system rife with fraud:
    • “Rather than give the subsidies to the individuals ... they sent the subsidies directly to the insurance companies to get them to artificially suppress the premiums ... It’s a broken system, got to be fixed.” (57:12–61:03)
  • On the Democrat push for centralizing healthcare, finance, and energy: “Dependency in their minds translates into more votes for Democrats.” (59:09)
• On Census and Congressional Apportionment:
  • Hagerty: “Every Democrat voted ... to continue that process, continue that practice of counting illegals for the purpose of allocating power in the Congress ... Those are dark days, Mark.” (63:51)
• On Soros-funded D.A.s:
  • “They find leverage points like this using local elections, using state elections, certainly federal elections ... can’t understate ... focus on it because they found a way to be very effective.” (66:08)

10. Call-Ins and Closing Reflections

• Multiple callers echo concerns about border security, illegal immigration, and the threat to American sovereignty if current court interpretations of birthright citizenship persist.
  • Caller: “Our country’s sovereignty is in the hands of these judges in black robes.” (98:29)
  • Levin: “I’m a big believer in convention of states. I really think that’s the only way to reform most of this.” (100:29)
• Levin emphasizes the existential nature of current political battles:
  • “You lose an election. Like in Virginia, they intend to change the voting system ... so they never lose ... the party comes first. Power comes first.” (105:36)

Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments

• “Any foreign government that talks to us this way needs to be dealt with.”
  — Mark Levin (09:16)
• “These are animals. They’re not even animals. They’re subhumans, these killers.”
  — Mark Levin (10:39)
• “Does anybody think he’s going to send troops to Greenland? ... What’s he doing? It’s the art of the deal.”
  — Mark Levin (20:51)
• “It’s in my mind ... a big target. It’s one where they can provide a lot of dependency, and dependency in their minds translates into more votes for Democrats.”
  — Senator Bill Haggerty (59:09)
• “They are rogue, they are violent, they are obstructing. They’re insurrectionists. That’s exactly what they are, insurrectionists.”
  — Mark Levin (40:32)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:19 — Opening, weather anecdotes and setting the tone
• 05:20 — On stockpiling milk and groceries during storms
• 07:34 — Shifting to Iran, Middle East instability
• 10:37 — Graphic details on regime atrocities
• 13:05 — Value of U.S.–Israel military cooperation
• 15:07 — Trump’s defense budget announcement
• 20:51 — Greenland “art of the deal”, Arctic geopolitics
• 24:49 — Criticism of Democrats, Trump’s dealmaking compared to U.K./Cyprus
• 27:25 — Trump on Hamas, Levin’s skepticism
• 37:35 — Attacks on ICE and the left’s agenda
• 47:33 — Senator Bill Hagerty interview starts
• 73:57 — Schweitzer’s revelations about Chinese pilot training
• 92:12 — Callers raise concerns on birthright citizenship and immigration
• 106:56 — Reading the 14th Amendment, closing reflections

Tone & Takeaways

• Direct, indignant, urgent, nostalgic, occasionally humorous.
• Throughout, Levin emphasizes the need to “deal with” threats—both foreign (Iran, China, Islamist terror) and domestic (“the ruling class,” Soros-backed D.A.s, and Democrat voter strategy).
• Celebrates Trump’s willingness to break diplomatic molds, decries “permanent government” inertia, and urges listeners to stay vigilant in both civic engagement and support for U.S. sovereignty.
• Closes with a salute to military, police, and allies abroad, reinforcing a sense of solidarity and shared purpose.

This summary covers the core discussions, high-impact moments, and the characteristic energy of the episode–providing a listener with a thorough sense of both content and context.