Bernie Sanders Warns Liberal Podcasters That Trump and Musk Are Creating 'Oligarchy'

Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., issued a dire warning during an interview with the liberal podcast Pod Save America, claiming that the United States is becoming increasingly dangerous under the influence of billionaires like Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump. Sanders didn’t mince words, calling these times the "scariest" of his life.

"It is not just that they want to give tax breaks to billionaires and cut programs for working people. Frankly, that's happened before," Sanders remarked. But what sets this era apart, he explained, is the consolidation of power by the ultra-wealthy, which he described as "the power of the oligarchy in general." Sounds like a modern-day warning straight out of a dystopian novel.

Sanders has consistently criticized the increasing proximity of billionaires to political power. He referred to the Trump administration as "a government of the billionaire class, by the billionaire class, and for the billionaire class." He also expressed concerns about Musk owning Twitter (or, as it's now known, X) and his ability to influence millions with a single tweet. "You combine that with Mr. Musk owning Twitter and able to send out his messages to hundreds of millions of people," Sanders said. The senator's point? That level of control over communication is unsettling.

He didn’t stop at Musk. Sanders also took aim at Amazon's Jeff Bezos, accusing him of gutting his media outlets' editorial staff and steering them toward a right-wing agenda. "Combine that with the fact that Trump is suing major media outlets and is threatening to investigate PBS and NPR," Sanders added.

The Vermont senator warned that this isn’t just about wealth; it’s also about the rise of authoritarianism. He accused Trump of actions that undermine the constitutional framework, including unilaterally cutting federal funding—which Sanders pointed out was illegal and unconstitutional. "He's moving aggressively in all these areas," Sanders emphasized. "This is a scary moment." For a man known for his impassioned rhetoric, it's striking how heavy his words felt here.

Sanders' warnings are not new, but his focus on the intertwined power of billionaires and political shifts signals his ongoing concern about the erosion of democratic norms. Love him or hate him, you can’t accuse Bernie of staying quiet when it comes to sounding the alarm.