Speaking to a packed crowd of approximately 3,500 people at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s De Simone Arena, Sanders framed his message around economic inequality, the influence of billionaires in politics, and the potential dismantling of federal programs that benefit working- and middle-class families.

“In our great nation, we will not accept oligarchy. We will not accept authoritarianism. We will not accept kleptocracy,” Sanders told the crowd. “We are here to make it clear that we’re going to fight back and we are going to win.”

His visit drew criticism from Congressman Bryan Steil (R-Janesville), who characterized Sanders’ message as “fear mongering” and accused him of advocating for policies that would weaken the country. - Racine County Eye

Sanders and other speakers painted a dire picture of a country at a crossroads, where the rights and economic well-being of Americans is being eroded while the nation’s wealthiest grow richer.

“We must acknowledge forthright the terrifying moments that we are in right now,” Ocasio-Cortez said, citing cases of foreign-born residents with legal status, such as Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and Kilmar Abrego Garcia, “being disappeared off the street.”

“The destruction of our rights and our democracy is directly tied to the growing and extreme wealth inequality that has been building in America for years,” Ocasio-Cortez said, adding “it’s not a coincidence” that Tesla CEO Elon Musk poured more than $250 million into helping elect Trump in 2024.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article304265086.html#storylink=cpy

Sen.Sanders and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez repeatedly hit on populist themes of income inequality and class struggle.

Their blistering indictments of Trump Administration policies found an appreciative audience in Missoula. Those policies include mass layoffs of federal workers as well as elimination of climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

An estimated 8,000 people packed into the University of Montana’s Adams Center to listen to Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. Another thousand gathered outside but couldn’t make it into the arena.

Sanders told the crowd, "We believe in Democracy, not authoritarianism. We believe in an economy that works for all, not just for [Elon] Musk and his fellow billionaires. Brothers and sisters, let’s stand together. Let’s go forward. Let us win this struggle.”

Sanders tells Montana Public Radio goals of the tour include spurring grassroots movements and political organizing in districts seen as flippable by some. - Montana Public Radio

Sanders, I-Vermont, has dubbed the nationwide campaign the Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here tour.

Along with Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, they have railed against President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, a top advisor to Trump and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, and criticized a variety of government policies on immigration, spending and other issues. - CBS8

Bakersfield is the latest stop of the cross-country tour including Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. The tour has brought thousands of people to their rallies along the way including Salt Lake City and Nampa, Idaho.

Sanders jokingly calls Ocasio-Cortez his daughter at Utah rally

The two are traveling across the country — often holding rallies in conservative congressional districts — speaking out against President Donald Trump’s policies and what they call economic disparities in the U.S.

A rally in Los Angeles on Saturday brought an estimated crowd of 36,000 — the largest of the rallies so far. Sanders then made a surprise appearance at the Coachella Music Festival later that night. - KGET

Bakersfield’s Dignity Health Arena, Theater and Convention Center is set for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) to host a rally Tuesday, part of the pair’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.

Bakersfield is the latest stop of the cross-country tour including Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. The tour has brought thousands of people to their rallies along the way including Salt Lake City and Nampa, Idaho.

Sanders jokingly calls Ocasio-Cortez his daughter at Utah rally

The two are traveling across the country — often holding rallies in conservative congressional districts — speaking out against President Donald Trump’s policies and what they call economic disparities in the U.S.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Senate candidate Caroline Gleich also spoke at a packed Huntsman Center on Sunday.

A Utah audience of thousands, some dressed in years-old Bernie Sanders for President merchandise, crammed into the Huntsman Center at the University of Utah to listen to some of the most progressive members of Congress — who in many ways are the ideological opposites of their own representatives.

“We are living in the most dangerous moment in the modern history of this country,” Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders said, explaining why he is crisscrossing the country holding rallies in the early months of a nonelection year.

The “Fighting the Oligarchy” tour has taken place over the weeks since President Donald Trump took office. At Trump’s inauguration, Sanders has pointed out, the three richest people in the world — Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg — sat behind the president. - The Salt Lake Tribune

Attending Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour stop, they voiced anger about national politics: the deportations of undocumented immigrants — and people deported by mistake; rollbacks of women’s rights and access to abortion; what they see as the audacity of the Trump administration to take aim at health and other benefits, even as it slashed jobs with the Department of Government Efficiency and imposed — and rescinded — tariffs.

But in a shout-out to local issues, many wore shirts that read “Everyone is welcome here” — a nod to the classroom sign a West Ada School District teacher was told to take down in March. She refused, and the episode rose to national prominence.

“I think this represents Idaho,” said Shirley Hurley, who wore an “Everyone is welcome here” shirt to the rally, along with rainbow LGBTQ+ Pride earrings. She said she lives in Boise’s North End off Harrison Boulevard — where an annual display of Pride flags is in jeopardy because of a new law from the Republican-dominated Idaho Legislature.

Idaho Statesman

“We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us too. Standing together is how we win,” Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in Tucson.

As 20,000 people filled the sidewalks and then the stands at Catalina High School to see progressive leaders from the east coast talk about restoring democracy and standing together — first they heard from Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, who said she almost canceled.

“I am dealing with the greatest loss of my life, after the loss of my amazing father, Congressman (Raúl) Grijalva. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to come today, but I realized there was no better way to honor my dad than to add my voice to this event.” 

She said we needed to come together as a community, understand that we are not alone and that this “bro-ligarchy” has got to go. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, are traveling the country hosting rallies called “Fighting Oligarchy.” They were joined by Rep. Greg Casar, of Texas, in Tucson Saturday. - AZ Luminaria

“We will not allow America to become an oligarchy,” Vermont senator says

In what he described as his largest rally ever, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, spoke to a crowd that filled Denver’s Civic Center on Friday evening, railing against billionaires and President Donald Trump while listeners chanted and nodded along.

“We will not allow America to become an oligarchy,” Sanders said to cheers. “This nation was built by working people, and we are not going to let a handful of billionaires run the government.”

Sanders, speaking alongside U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, visited the city as part of a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour the pair are taking across the country  to garner early support for Democrats before the midterm elections in 2026.

“An extreme concentration of power and corruption is taking over this country like never before,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “A better world is possible.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who said the crowd was estimated to be 30,000 people, praised each of Colorado’s Democratic members of Congress while addressing the park.

That means communities choosing and voting for Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class,” she said. “Colorado, I want to thank you for working hard to make that happen.” - The Denver Post

A crowd of more than 11,000 people gathered at the Bank of Colorado Arena on the University of Northern Colorado campus in Greeley Friday afternoon. They were there to see U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The appearance is one of many stops the duo is making on a Western United States tour, part of Sanders' national "Fight the Oligarchy" circuit.

A second Colorado rally is planned at Civic Center Park in Denver. Organizers are preparing for an estimated 25,000 attendees. - Colorado Public Radio

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke to ASU students and community members at Mullett Arena

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke at Mullett Arena for their "Fighting Oligarchy Tour." 

The Tempe stop on March 20 was one of multiple on the tour, which is also set to visit Tucson on March 22 with Texas Rep. Greg Casar. 

Ocasio-Cortez was the fourth speaker to take the stage in front of the over 5,000 attendees. The New York congresswoman started her speech with a message meant to unify the "everyday working Americans" in the crowd. 

"We are witnessing an oligarchy in America — those with the most economic, political and technological power destroy the public good in order to enrich themselves at the price of millions of Americans," Ocasio-Cortez said. "We know that a better world is possible."

Miranda Weber, a junior studying business law, said it was important for her as someone from the next generation to be in the crowd hearing from Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez.

"Young people are the next generation, (and we're) going to be going into these fields and in this world," Weber said. "So it's important to know what's going on and how to make change." - State Press

Hundreds gathered on Thursday afternoon in North Las Vegas to hear from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about the state of the country and a vision for the future. - Las Vegas Review Journal

The audience filled the main event space – the gym at Lincoln High School – and two overflow rooms, and still left hundreds more outside.

Wayne County Health Director Abdul El-Sayed, who ran for governor in 2018 and is exploring a run for U.S. Senate in 2026, said the size of the crowd is a sign of progressives’ resilience.

“They want us to step back, and today, all of you have said that we are not stepping back, we are stepping forward,” El-Sayed said. “We are recognizing that in one another, we have all we need to build that government for the people and by the people.”

Sanders compared the current political moment to various movements throughout history, including the American Revolution and the abolition movement.

“The change that we have experienced over hundreds of years of our nationhood only occurs when ordinary people stand up against oppression and injustice and fight back,” Sanders said. - Michigan Advance

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders rally Democrats, calling for a party that 'fights harder'

“This isn’t just about Republicans. We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us, too,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., told the fired-up crowd gathered at the Craig Ranch Amphitheater to see her and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

“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.”

While Ocasio-Cortez did not mention any Democratic leaders by name, the crowd broke out into multiple “Primary Chuck” chants — a reference to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who backed down from a funding fight with Trump last week.

The move enraged the base and prompted some of Ocasio-Cortez’s House colleagues to encourage her to mount a primary challenge to Schumer, her fellow New Yorker, in 2028. - NBC News