Clairo, the Indie artist most notable for her hit songs such as “Bags” and “Sofia,” performed over the weekend at the popular Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. However, her opening act garnered much attention — U.S. Senator and former Democratic Presidential Nominee Bernie Sanders took to the stage to address the audience of mainly young voters. Alongside fellow congressman Maxwell Frost, they both spoke out against President Donald Trump and the current state of the country.
Sen. Sanders has been traveling across the United States in his “Fighting the Oligarchy” tour, where he and other representatives, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have been speaking out against current policies enacted by the Trump administration.
“We’re living in a moment where a handful of billionaires control the economic and political life of our country … with a president who has no understanding of the Constitution of the United States,” Sanders said in his most recent rally in Downtown Los Angeles.
During his stop in Los Angeles, he made his surprise visit at Coachella, a prominent music festival that brings in around 250,000 attendees during its two weekends. While there, he specifically addressed the audience of young voters.
“This country faces some very difficult challenges. The future of what happens to America is dependent upon your generation,” Sanders said. “You can turn away and ignore what goes on, but if you do that, you do it at your own peril.”
He went on to encourage his audience to fight against the current injustices he feels this country is facing.
“We need you to stand up to fight for justice, to fight for economic justice, social justice and racial justice,” Sanders said.
Throughout his speech, he criticized President Donald Trump and his current policies and opinions on the future of the environment.
“Now we have a President who thinks climate change is a hoax,” Sanders said. “He is dangerously wrong and you and I are gonna have to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and tell them to stop destroying this planet.”
He also addressed current actions being taken against abortion rights in states across the U.S.
“In Florida, where Maxwell is from and many other states, politicians are trying to take away a woman’s right to control her own body,” Sanders warned the audience. “We need you to stand up and fight for women’s rights.”
Before he left the stage, he thanked Clairo for her work in advocating for the rights of women and for advocating against the current conflict in Gaza.
“Clairo has used her prominence to fight for womens’ rights, to try and end the terrible, brutal war in Gaza — where thousands of women and children are being killed. So I want to thank Clairo — for not only being in a great band — but for the great work she is doing,” Sanders said before Clairo walked on stage.
The truth is that politics is everywhere. It affects the stock market, it’s an inevitable subject on a first date and it’s even at Coachella – a weekend meant for fun and celebration at a music festival. With such a large audience attending, Sanders made sure that his voice was heard at the festival.
More information about Sen. Sanders’s tour can be found on his website https://berniesanders.com/oligarchy/ and Instagram @berniesanders.
