BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A packed Stabler Arena roared to life Saturday as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders railed against President Donald Trump and the moneyed interests that he said have poisoned American politics.
In a space where sports fans cheer on for Lehigh University’s athletes, a crowd of about 6,000 screamed their support and stomped their feet for the 83-year-old Vermont independent.
Saturday was the progressive icon’s third stop in Pennsylvania since Thursday on his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
“You’re not only a great crowd, but you are loud! I think Trump can hear you all the way down in Mar-a-Lago,” he said.
Sanders noted the crowd was only a short drive from Gettysburg, where President Abraham Lincoln famously described American democracy as “a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”
But the modern political system has allowed powerful elites to concentrate power among themselves, he said. As if to drive home the point, Sanders said, the world’s three richest men — Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Meta chairman Mark Zuckerberg -- stood behind Trump at his inauguration in January.
Now, Sanders said, the Trump administration is rushing to cut government services that benefit the common man so the nation’s wealthiest can get a tax cut.
“Right now we have a government of the billionaire class, by the billionaire class, for the billionaire class, and we are not going to accept that,” Sanders said.
Sanders denounced Trump’s efforts to slash Medicaid, gut the Department of Veterans Affairs and weaken Social Security. But he didn’t hold off on blasting Democratic leadership, either.
The party cleared the way for Trump’s arrival by gradually failing to stand up for average Americans over the last 50 years, he said.
Millions of working class voters abandoned the party after finding themselves working longer hours, paying higher rents and unable to afford college educations for their children, he said.
“The Democratic Party is going to finally have to say, ‘We’re going to stand with those people. We are prepared to take on the greed of corporate America,’” Sanders said to cheers.
Punk rock atmosphere
Organizers worked to create an anti-establishment vibe befitting Sanders' message.
The Manzingers, a punk rock band based out Scranton, tore people away from their cell phones with their song "America (You're Freaking Me Out)." They were followed by more traditional voices for a political rally, including union representatives, former U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Democrat from western Pennsylvania.
Deluzio, a 40-year-old who represents a swing district in Pittsburgh’s suburbs, said people his age and younger are the first Americans in generations who believe their lives will be worse off than their parents.
“I don’t say the American Dream just slipped away. It was stolen and ripped away from people. The out-of-control corporate power and the corrupt politicians like Trump and Musk, that’s who’s been taking the American Dream away,” he said.
“My message to Congressman Mackenzie is don’t vote for that terrible legislation. And if you do, I have a strong suspicion that you will be a one-term member of Congress.”U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders
Both Sanders and Deluzio took passing swipes at U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, the freshman Republican who defeated Wild in November’s race for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District.
Tens of millions of dollars from outside the district flooded into the campaign, making it the 10th most expensive House race in the nation, according to OpenSecrets.org. Sanders repeatedly took aim at Citizens United, the Supreme Court decision that paved the way for so much money to influence local elections.
He warned Mackenzie that voters would hold him accountable if he votes with Republican leadership to pass sweeping cuts to government programs. Some Republicans want to cut as much as $880 billion from Medicaid, which provides health care to America’s most vulnerable.
“My message to Congressman Mackenzie is don’t vote for that terrible legislation. And if you do, I have a strong suspicion that you will be a one-term member of Congress,” Sanders said.
Mackenzie camp calls for apology
In a prepared statement, Mackenzie spokesman Arnaud Armstrong focused on a profanity from Enid Santiago, another of the event’s speakers. While the Allentown resident focused most of her remarks on her family’s reliance on Medicaid to provide life-saving drugs to her nieces, she shouted, “(Expletive) ICE,” before leaving the stage.
Armstrong called on Deluzio, Sanders, Wild and Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure to apologize for the remark. McClure did not speak at or even attend the event, but another speaker mentioned him in passing.
McClure, a Democrat, launched a congressional campaign challenging Mackenzie in February.
“While Bernie Sanders and Susan Wild rally for their failed, far-left agenda and stand by while law enforcement officers are insulted, Congressman Mackenzie is fighting for an agenda of common sense. The Greater Lehigh Valley doesn't want to return to the days of open borders, failed trade deals, and woke priorities; they support Congressman Mackenzie’s policies of border security, fiscal sanity, tax relief for working families, and putting America first,” Armstrong said.
After the event, Donna Kohut of Macungie praised Sanders, saying he's consistently stood up for working class Americans for decades.
But while she was glad to hear him in person, she didn't spend hours inside a gymnasium on a beautiful spring day just to catch another political speech. The event provided a feeling a solidarity of like-minded people united by a common vision, she said.
"It's not just about him in person. It's about being with everyone else in the room," Kohut said. "That is priceless."
