Bernie Sanders Warns of Oligarchs’ War Against the Working Class

Senator Bernie Sanders issued a stark warning on Tuesday, declaring that a war is being waged against the American working class by the wealthiest elites.

As President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk continue their aggressive push to dismantle key federal agencies, Sanders accused them of advancing an agenda that benefits only the ultra-rich at the expense of ordinary Americans.

“The oligarchs, with their unlimited amounts of money, are waging a war on the working class of our country, and it is a war that they are intent on winning,” Sanders stated in a passionate speech on the Senate floor.

His remarks came just a week after he delivered another address warning about America’s dangerous drift toward oligarchy, authoritarianism, and kleptocracy.

Sanders specifically called out Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg—three of the richest men in the world—along with the politicians who, in his view, serve their interests. “We are living in an extremely dangerous time,” Sanders warned.

“Future generations will look back at this moment—what we do right now—and remember whether we had the courage to defend our democracy against the growing threats of oligarchy and authoritarianism.”

The senator’s remarks came as Musk, in his role as head of Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), continues targeting federal agencies for cuts.

The list of agencies already affected includes the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and even a critical Treasury Department payment system.

Reports indicate that Musk’s next targets may include agencies responsible for Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.

“As we speak, right now, Elon Musk, the wealthiest man on the planet, is attempting to dismantle major agencies of the federal government which are designed to protect the needs of working families and the disadvantaged,” Sanders said.

“These agencies were created by the U.S. Congress, and it is Congress' responsibility to maintain them, to reform them, or to end them. It is not Mr. Musk’s responsibility. What Mr. Musk is doing is patently illegal and unconstitutional—and must be ended.”

Sanders also turned his attention to Trump and his allies, accusing them of launching a coordinated attack on the judiciary. Since returning to office last month, Trump has faced repeated legal obstacles from federal courts, which have blocked portions of his agenda.

According to Sanders, Trump is now retaliating against the judiciary in an effort to erode one of the three pillars of constitutional government.

“Mr. Trump and his friends are not just trying to undermine two of the three pillars of our constitutional government—Congress and the courts—they are also going after the media, in a way that we have never seen in the modern history of this country,” Sanders said.

While acknowledging that media organizations make mistakes, Sanders stressed the importance of an independent press in a functioning democracy.

“I do hope that every member of Congress understands that you cannot have a functioning democracy, you cannot have a free flow of information, you cannot have the pursuit of truth, without an independent press,” he said.

He further warned that billionaires like Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg now control much of the information Americans consume. “They will use the enormous media operations they own to deflect attention away from the impact of their policies while they ‘entertain us to death,’” Sanders said.

He pointed to Musk’s control of X (formerly Twitter), Bezos’ ownership of The Washington Post and Twitch, and Zuckerberg’s influence through Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

“These oligarchs and their fellow billionaires will continue, within our corrupt campaign finance system, to spend huge amounts of money to buy politicians in both major political parties,” Sanders warned. “Does anyone really think that the oligarchs give a damn about ordinary Americans? Trust me, they don’t.”

Sanders also raised alarms about the potential consequences of Musk and Trump’s policies. “If we do not stop them, they will soon be going after the healthcare, nutrition, housing, and educational programs that protect the most vulnerable people in our country—all so that they can raise the money they need to provide huge tax breaks for themselves and for other billionaires,” he said.

“As modern-day kings who believe they have the absolute right to rule, they will sacrifice, without hesitation, the well-being of working people in order to protect their power and their privileges.”

Despite these challenges, Sanders expressed optimism that the American people can fight back.

“The worst fear of the ruling class of our country is that the American people—whether they are Black or white or Latino, whether they are urban or rural, whether they are young or old, gay or straight, whatever—the fear of the ruling class is that the American people come together to demand a government that represents all of us, not just the people on top,” he said.

He urged Americans to reject division and unite against the influence of billionaires and special interests. “The oligarchs’ nightmare is that we will not allow ourselves to be divided up by race, religion, sexual orientation, or country of origin and will come together and have the courage to take them on,” Sanders declared.

“If we stand together, we’re gonna win this fight, and not only will we save American democracy, we’re gonna create the kind of nation that I think most of us know we should become.”