Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., greet the crowd together during a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour event at Arizona State University, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Sanders, who's long railed against the influence of big money in politics as he's pressed for campaign finance reforms, argued that Americans "perceive correctly that both political parties are dominated by big money interests."
The senator took aim at Musk, who was the largest single donor in last year's presidential election, dishing out nearly $300 million of his own money to support Trump's successful effort to win back the White House.
"Then he's awarded with the most important position in government. He's essentially running the government," Sanders said of Musk. "Does that make sense to people? It doesn't."
But he added that "Democrats also have a whole lot of billionaires funding their campaigns. And you know, I think people are looking for alternatives. And I think, among other things, they also want to end this corrupt campaign finance system…which allows billionaires in both parties to buy elections."
CLASS DISMISSED: TRUMP TAKES AIM AT EDUCATION DEPARTMENT WITH THE STOKE OF A PEN
Trump has been on a tear since returning to the White House two months ago, flexing his political muscles to expand presidential powers as he’s upended longstanding government policy and made major cuts to the federal workforce through a flurry of executive orders and actions.
And Sanders and Cortez took to the stage at their first stop, in Las Vegas, Nevada, while Trump signed an executive order to begin the longstanding conservative goal of demolishing the Department of Education at a White House ceremony.
Elon Musk, who steers President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is cutting government fraud and slashing the federal workforce, wields a chainsaw during an appearance at CPAC, on Feb. 20, 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland (GETTY)
Pointing to Musk - the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive who is steering Trump's recently created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which as part of its mission to target government fraud and waste, has taken a hatchet to the federal workforce - Sanders argued, "we have the richest guy in the world going around, cutting the Veterans Administration, threatening the existence of Social Security while Republicans work on a tax bill that will give a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the richest 1% and cut Medicaid and other programs."
Minutes later, Sanders told the crowd "we have a message for Mr. Trump and that is, we will not allow you to move this country into an oligarchy."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., arrives to speak during a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour event at Arizona State University, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez western road trip comes as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the chamber, is facing increasing fire from his own party for his support last week for a Republican-crafted federal funding bill that averted a government shutdown.
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Neither Ocasio-Cortez nor Sanders mentioned Schumer during their speeches in Las Vegas or Tempe.
And Sanders, an independent who has long caucused with the Democrats and who is part of Schumer's leadership team in the Senate, declined in the Fox News Digtal interview to answer whether he agreed with calls for Schumer to step down from his leadership position.
"That's kind of inside the Beltway stuff," Sanders said.
Asked a second time about Schumer, Sanders replied, "that's not what we're here for."
But it was on the minds of some of those attending the rally.
Five Tesla vehicles were set on fire and shot at in what police are investigating as a "targeted attack" at a local repair center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Hal Sparks via Storyful)
Tesla has faced widespread protests in recent weeks that are aimed at Musk.
Asked if he thought the crimes committed were domestic terrorism, Sanders called the attacks on Tesla "outrageous" and "absurd."
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"People have a right to protest Musk. They have a right to protest, you know, in front of Tesla," he said.
But Sanders emphasized that "nobody has the right to engage in any form of violence, period."
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bernie-sanders-targets-trump-musk-democrats-wide-ranging-interview-ahead-rally-aoc