New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has joined Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on his “fighting oligarchy” tour, which is drawing significant crowds across the United States.
The pair of progressive politicians recently emerged as leaders of an organized Trump resistance with burgeoning momentum. More often than not, the tour has taken them deep into red territory, but has also drawn capacity crowds in liberal and battleground states.
Bernie Sanders makes surprise appearance at the Coachella: ‘Stand up to fight for justice’
One attendee at a rally in Salt Lake City, Utah, a notoriously conservative state, told the Associated Press earlier this week he could not believe the turnout when he and his mother arrived at the venue, a college basketball arena.
“We’re not used to that in a place like Utah,” said Ryan, a 28-year-old server and retail manager from South Weber, about 20 miles north of the stadium.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Boise, Idaho, on Monday, the Ford Idaho Center was filled to capacity, with staff forced to close the doors after admitting 12,500 people.
There are just 11,902 registered Democratic Party voters in Canyon County, where the arena is located, according to the Idaho Secretary of State’s office.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks to a full auditorium as part of the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour on April 14, 2025 in Nampa, Idaho. According to event organizers, 12,500 people attended the rally.
Natalie Behring / Getty Images
In the last week, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez attracted about 36,000 people to a rally in Los Angeles, over 34,000 in Denver and 30,000 in Sacramento, Calif., according to the New York Times, totalling over 200,000 over the entire tour, its organizers said.
The pair has put on a united front amid a period of tumult created by Trump’s see-sawing tariffs, the deportation of immigrants and the dismantling and defunding of social safety nets and federal agencies, including the Department of Education.
Sanders’ and Ocasio-Cortez’s camaraderie has proven popular amongst their supporters. In Salt Lake City, Sanders jokingly referred to Ocasio-Cortez as his “daughter.”
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) embrace during a stop on their ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour at Grand Park on April 12, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. An estimated 36,000 people attended the rally, which also saw Neil Young and Joan Baez perform.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
In April, the tour took the pair to Missoula, Mont., Folsom, Calif., Bakersfield, Calif. and Tucson, Ariz.
In Folsom, Ocasio-Cortez told a rapturous crowd, “I don’t think this is Trump country, I think this is our country.”
Sanders also made a surprise appearance at Coachella, a popular music and arts festival in Indio, Calif., last weekend, ahead of singer-songwriter Clairo’s performance, to widespread applause.
He urged the young crowd to stay engaged in politics and to remain vigilant.
Bernie Sanders speaks onstage at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12, 2025, in Indio, California.
Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images
Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez are seeking to reignite the American people’s faith in the Democratic party’s ability to reverse its fortunes in the 2026 midterms and the next presidential race.
In last year’s election, the Democratic party was criticized for being overly elitist, leaving traditional blue-collar voters and the working lower-middle class in the dust.
Nonetheless, Ocasio-Cortez is emerging as a potential successor to the Vermont Senator’s decades-long defence of American democracy and as a prospective presidential candidate.
As of this writing, President Trump and the members of his cabinet have not commented publicly on the tour or any of the speeches.
— With files from the Associated Press