Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) made a surprise appearance at the Coachella music festival in Southern California, during which he continued his attacks on billionaires and the Trump administration.
He introduced singer-songwriter Clairo before her set. Sanders told the crowd that the U.S. “faces some very difficult challenges,” and said “the future of what happens to America is dependent upon your generation.”
“Now you can turn away, and you can ignore what goes on, but if you do that, you do it at your own peril,” Sanders said. “We need you to stand up to fight for justice. To fight for economic justice, social justice, and racial justice.”
Thank you, Coachella.
I enjoyed introducing the great @clairo tonight.
These are tough times.
The younger generation has to help lead in the fight to combat climate change, protect women’s rights, and build an economy that works for all, not just the few. https://t.co/8sGvKAuNYY
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) April 13, 2025
The crowd at the festival booed President Donald Trump when Sanders mentioned him, to which the Vermont independent replied, “I agree.”
“He thinks that climate change is a hoax. He is dangerously wrong, and you and I are going to have to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and tell them to stop destroying this planet,” Sanders added.
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the first Gen Z member of Congress, introduced Sanders onstage at Coachella.
Earlier in the day, Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) held an event in Los Angeles as part of their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The Los Angeles rally drew 36,000 people, marking his largest crowd ever, according to Sanders’s team.
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“I don’t have to tell anyone here that this is a difficult moment in the modern history of our country,” Sanders said. “We’ve never gone through anything like this, but … despair is not an option. Giving up and hiding under the covers is not acceptable. The stakes are just too high.”
So far, the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour has mostly gone to areas held by Republicans in Congress, such as Arizona, Iowa, and Wisconsin.