Sen. Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance onstage at the Coachella music festival in Indio, California, Saturday night, encouraging younger generations to “stand up to fight for justice.”
Sanders, the longest-serving independent member of Congress, said the U.S. “faces some very difficult challenges,” while urging the crowd at the popular music festival that “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 continued. “We need you to stand up to fight for justice. To fight for economic justice, social justice and racial justice.”
Sanders’ appearance at the music festival came after he held a rally in Los Angeles as part of his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York earlier Saturday. Sanders’ spokesperson posted on X that there were 36,000 at the L.A. rally, calling it his biggest rally so far. The series of rallies have attracted thousands across the country in recent weeks amid opposition to the Trump administration.
The music festival crowd booed Saturday as Sanders mentioned President Trump, to which the Vermont independent replied, “I agree.”
The 83-year-old was elected to a fourth term representing Vermont in the Senate in November, where he caucuses with Democrats. Sanders previously ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 and 2020, but he ultimately fell short in the primary process to the more moderate candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Joe Biden. In recent years, he’s become the leading progressive voice in the Senate, wielding significant influence in the chamber.
Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat and the first Gen Z member of Congress, introduced Sanders onstage at Coachella on Saturday.
In a post on X after the appearance, Sanders wrote, “Thank you, Coachella,” adding that he enjoyed introducing the musician Clairo. He said the nation is facing “tough times,” while encouraging young people to lead across a number of issues.
“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,” Sanders wrote.
