Videos of Senator Bernie Sanders‘, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democratic Party, large Midwest rallies to “take on the oligarchy” have taken off on social media over the weekend.
Newsweek has reached out to Sanders via email for comment on Sunday morning.
Why It Matters
Many Democrats have called billionaire Elon Musk‘s rise to political power a “shadow government.” Musk, President Donald Trump‘s ally, leads the nongovernmental task force, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In its first month of operation, it has restructured multiple federal agencies and recommended mass layoffs, sparking backlash and concern from Trump critics, as well as from some Republicans.
Musk has called for sweeping cuts to federal government spending, claiming it should be reduced by up to $2 trillion annually. Supporters say this will boost efficiency and help tackle the national debt, while critics argue it will reduce access to government services.
What To Know
In response to Musk’s efforts, Sanders announced in February he’s launching a national tour to “take on the oligarchy” as the senator, like many of his counterparts, described the billionaire’s recent actions with DOGE to “dismantle government agencies” as “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”
“In my opinion, what Musk and those around him are aggressively striving for is not novel. It is not complicated, and it is not new. It is what ruling classes throughout history have always wanted and have always believed is theirs by right: more power, more control and more wealth,” Sanders said in a video announcing the tour. “They don’t want ordinary people—that’s you—and democracy getting in their way.”
Sanders, a two-time presidential candidate who has filed to run for Senate reelection in 2030, aims to visit “working class” districts that former President Joe Biden won in 2020, but Republican House members took in 2024.
The tour began on February 21 in Omaha, Nebraska, and has continued with stops in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Friday and Altoona, Wisconsin, on Saturday. Sanders also stopped in Warren, Michigan, yesterday.
Videos and photos of those rallies have since taken off on X, formerly Twitter.
“Great rally in Kenosha.4,000 people came out to say: NO tax breaks for billionaires.NO cuts to Medicaid. NO oligarchy. NO authoritarianism.NO MORE billionaires buying elections,” Sanders wrote on X on Friday with photos of the rally.
That post has since garnered 5.5 million views and 63,000 likes as of Sunday morning.
Posting a video of the rally in Kenosha, Faiz Shakir, a political adviser to Sanders, wrote on X on Friday “If you build it, they will come — Kenosha edition.”
That post has currently garnered 4.5 million views.
If you build it, they will come — Kenosha edition pic.twitter.com/GfjsYeq5Tr
— Faiz (@fshakir) March 8, 2025
In another video posted by Jeremy Slevin, senior adviser to Sanders, the senator is seen speaking to the crowd in Kenosha about Musk.
“Bernie Sanders: ‘Musk is so arrogant that he is even intervening in a Supreme Court election right here in Wisconsin… if this guy can intervene in a Supreme Court election in one state, you tell me what mayor’s race, what governor’s race, what Senate race he cannot buy,’” Slevin wrote.
That post has since garnered over 990,000 views.
Bernie Sanders: “Musk is so arrogant that he is even intervening in a Supreme Court election right here in Wisconsin… if this guy can intervene in a Supreme Court election in one state, you tell me what mayor’s race, what governor’s race, what Senate race he cannot buy.” pic.twitter.com/iQM7lUrEmQ
— Jeremy Slevin (@jeremyslevin) March 8, 2025
On Saturday, Sanders posted a video on X showing the line to get into the rally in Altoona.
“We’re in rural Altoona, Wisconsin, where the population is 9,287. More than 2,000 people have lined up for our town hall today. The working class of this country is very clear: We will NOT accept oligarchy in America.”
That video has since garnered over 1 million views.
We’re in rural Altoona, Wisconsin, where the population is 9,287.More than 2,000 people have lined up for our town hall today.The working class of this country is very clear: We will NOT accept oligarchy in America. pic.twitter.com/SYdFZO6pcC
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 8, 2025
On Thursday, Trump called his Cabinet into the Oval Office to clarify the scope of Musk’s authority within the administration. Trump emphasized that Cabinet secretaries, not Musk, hold ultimate responsibility for staffing and policy decisions in their respective agencies.
While many Cabinet officials agreed on the need to reduce waste and inefficiency, the meeting came after frustrations grew over Musk’s “hacksaw” approach, which frequently resulted in abrupt and disruptive shake-ups.
The meeting marked the first significant sign that Trump was willing to put limits on Musk’s expanding role in reshaping the federal government.
Concerns remain over more cuts after federal agencies were told last month they must develop plans to eliminate employee positions under a directive from Trump’s administration, setting the stage for a major restructuring of the federal government.
Agencies must submit reduction in force plans by March 13, which would not only lay off employees but permanently eliminate their positions—potentially leading to significant changes in government operations.
What People Are Saying
Senator Bernie Sanders in his video announcement of the tour last month: “The oligarch’s nightmare is that we will not allow ourselves to be divided up by race, religion, sexual orientation or religion and will together have the courage to take them on.”
President Donald Trump, during an Oval Office press conference after the meeting on Thursday: “Elon and the group are gonna be watching them. If they can cut, it’s better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, posted to X on Friday: “Elon Musk and Donald Trump are trying to make you believe that they are cutting ‘waste,’ but they’re actually reaching into your wallet to fund tax cuts for their ‘rich as hell’ friends. Spread the word.”
RoseAnn DeMoro, a longtime friend of Sanders and a former labor leader, told Politico in February: “I think he’s trying to inspire a very strong resistance to the oligarchy…If the Democrats listened to Bernie, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I assume he feels a deep level of disgust.”
Russell Vought, the White House Office of Management and Budget director, wrote in a memo in late February: “The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public. Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hard-working American citizens. The American people registered their verdict on the bloated, corrupt federal bureaucracy on November 5, 2024 by voting for President Trump and his promises to sweepingly reform the federal government.”
What Happens Next
The “take on the oligarchy” tour is expected to continue, but it’s unclear when the next stop is.
Slashes to federal government spending are expected to continue and will need to expand substantially if Musk is to reduce expenditures by anything close to $2 trillion annually.
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