At another packed anti-Trump rally, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) shrugged off a warning that they were entering “Trump country” as they found another huge audience in Republican territory.
Their nationwide Fighting Oligarchy tour has for weeks drawn massive crowds as the Vermont senator and New York congresswoman push progressive policies and condemn President Donald Trump over his handling of the economy and growing authoritarianism.
In recent days, the pair have spoken at sold-out venues in deep-red states, with 12,500 people on Monday filling an arena in Nampa, Idaho, a state Trump took by more than 35 percentage points in 2024.
On Tuesday, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez rolled into GOP-dominated Folsom in northern California, a city which sits within Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley’s district.
To underscore the point, a small plane was spotted overhead before the rally pulling a banner emblazoned with the words “Folsom Is Trump Country” in red letters.
The more than 30,000 people gathered at Folsom Lake College’s athletic track may have disagreed. Ocasio-Cortez certainly did.
“I heard that someone started flying a plane with a banner that said, ‘This is Trump country,’” she said to the crowd, prompting a chorus of boos.
She continued, “It sure don’t look like it today. I don’t think this is Trump country. I think this is our country. ”
Sanders picked up the theme when handed the rhetorical baton.
“We are seeing unbelievable turnouts,” he said. “We were in Idaho — Idaho! — we had 12,000 people coming out in Idaho, the most conservative state in the country. We had 20,000 people in Salt Lake City, a Republican state.”
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He added, “I think what the American people — Republicans, independents, Democrats — are saying [is], ‘Sorry, Mr. Trump, we don’t want your oligarchy. Sorry, Mr. Trump, too many men and women have fought and died to defend democracy. You’re not going to take us into authoritarianism.’”
Next stop: Missoula, Montana, a state Trump has won in three consecutive elections.