Progressives in Congress Rally Against Trump and Musk’s ‘Oligarchy’
LAS VEGAS — Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., continued their series of anti-Trump rallies Thursday in Las Vegas and Arizona by decrying the “oligarchy” they say the president and Elon Musk are forcing on the American people.
They described President Donald Trump and Musk as billionaires who are out of step with the concerns of average Americans.
They also said it is time to take back the overreaching power they say Trump is trying to seize.
“The worst addiction in this country today is the greed of oligarchy,” Sanders told supporters at the rally.
Oligarchy is a form of government in which power rests with a small number of usually very wealthy people. Historically, oligarchies have been viewed as coercive by using oppression to achieve public obedience.
The two high-profile lawmakers call their rallies in swing states the “Fighting Oligarchy Tour.” It started last month in Iowa and Nebraska.
“They are like heroin addicts,” Sanders said. “They need more and more and more. And if they have to destroy Social Security and Medicaid to get what they want, that is what they will do.”
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are separated by age but only slightly by political ideology.
Sanders, 83, has railed against abuses of the super-wealthy throughout his political career. He continued the rhetoric at a separate rally Thursday at Arizona State University in Tempe.
“Our fight is to make sure we remain a democracy. One person, one vote. Not billionaires buying elections,” Sanders said.
He was referring to the $277 million Musk donated to Trump’s reelection campaign.
Partly at Musk’s suggestion, House Republicans passed a budget resolution last week that directs the Energy and Commerce Committee to cut at least $880 billion from programs it oversees. Medicaid is the largest.
Ocasio-Cortez, 35, has focused primarily on sticking up for the interests of working-class Americans.
“I don’t believe in health care, labor and human dignity because I’m a Marxist,” she said at the Las Vegas rally. “I believe it because I was a waitress, because I worked double shifts to keep the lights on and because on my worst day, I know what it feels like to feel left behind. And I know that we don’t have to live like this.”
Part of their criticism was leveled against what they perceive as weakness among their fellow Democrats.
“This isn’t just about Republicans,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us, too. But what that means is that we as a community must choose and vote for Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class.”
Ocasio-Cortez did not mention any Democratic leaders by name but her criticisms were clearly directed at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
He backed down from a budget dispute with Republicans last week to avoid a government shutdown. He also prompted calls from fellow Democrats to replace him.
Ocasio-Cortez’s colleagues are now encouraging her to run in a primary challenge to Schumer in 2028.
The Fighting Oligarchy Tour is one of several town hall–style meetings planned by Democrats in Congress to regain support in states where they lost by slim margins in November. Republicans now control the House, the Senate and the presidency.
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