By The busy streets of Downtown Los Angeles roared as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont drew a crowd of 36,000 attendees in his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
Sanders spoke against the recent acts of President Donald Trump and billionaires, including Elon Musk, calling on attendees to receive this wake-up call and protest against these policies.
As Sanders was welcomed onto the stage by a crowd frantically chanting “Bernie,” the Vermont senator responded, “It’s not ‘Bernie,’ it’s you.” He emphasized that his point of hosting rallies is to look out for the people.
While Neil Young performed on stage and chanted with the audience, “Take America back,” he was joined by musicians Maggie Rogers and Joan Baez as they closed the final musical act together before introducing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Photo Credit: Dante Estrada
Sanders said the country is in “extraordinary danger,” referring to the Trump administration and Musk’s actions being deemed irresponsible.
The rally featured U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, several members of Congress and union leaders, as well as musical performances by Joan Baez, Neil Young and Maggie Rogers.
Before attendees made their way through the entrance of Grand Park, several outside vendors surrounded the streets of Downtown LA with Sanders merchandise and slogans against Trump or Musk.
“I hope you see that this movement is not about partisan labels or purity tests, but it is about class solidarity,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “It is about the thousands of you who came out here today to stand together and say our lives deserve dignity.”
These same sentiments were echoed by audience member Rosalie Swiatek, a 1996 Long Beach State alumna and mother of a current CSULB student.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Representative of New York’s 14th congressional district, told the crowd the fear and division they feel online were the “logical, inevitable conclusion of an American political system dominated by corporate and dark money.” Photo Credit: Dante Estrada
“What this all is about today, it’s not really about a [political] party; it’s about being a proud American who can stand up for everybody,” Swiatek said.
Sanders’ tour has been ongoing for two months, going through Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and now California.
He said the emphasis was on focusing mainly on Republican districts to gain Democratic votes in the 2026 midterm elections.
While many attended a political rally for the first time with Sanders, Jake Grosby, a 2023 CSULB alumnus, had last attended a political rally hosted by 2020 Democratic nominee Andrew Yang.
Grosby had never tried to attend a Sanders rally before but made his first with Saturday’s rally after realizing that his politics aligned more with Sanders’ policies.
“[Sanders] is like the only candidate available right now that’s really as left as I would like him to be and seems realistic of a chance of doing anything,” Grosby said.
During his speech, Bernie Sanders said the crowd at April 12’s rally had 36,000 people in attendance. The largest number of people Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez have had in attendance. Photo Credit: Dante Estrada
Sanders described oligarchy as the most serious addiction, as it leads toward greed among many powerful billionaires.
“This is what oligarchy feels like, and it can only get worse until we act,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Michelle Tyler, a local artist based in West Hollywood, came to the rally on the bus with her friend.
“I am so happy people are getting off their bum and standing up and telling [others] what they feel because a lot of people just keep it inside,” Tyler said.
Sanders will continue his tour in Utah and Idaho before returning to California in Bakersfield on Tuesday, April 15. He will also attend a later event in Folsom.
Skylar Stock contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: Updated featured photo caption at 8:56 p.m. on April 13
