U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a stop on the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger
Sen. Bernie Sanders defended his use of private jets late Wednesday as he brushed off criticism of spending more than $220,000 on charter flights during his cross-country “Fighting Oligarchy” tour.
"That's the only way to get around,” the Independent Vermont lawmaker said.
The comments came during an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, where Sanders, a longtime critic of corporate excess and concentrated wealth, offered “no apologies.”
"You run a campaign, and you do three or four or five rallies in a week,” Sanders said. “[It is] the only way you can get around to talk to 30,000 people. You think I'm gonna be sitting in a waiting line at United…while 30,000 people are waiting?"
"That's the only way to get around,” he continued. “No apologies for that. That's what campaign travel is about. We've done it in the past. We're gonna do it in future."
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The remarks came as Federal Election Commission filings show Sanders’ campaign committee, Friends of Bernie Sanders, spent more than $221,000 on private jet services during the first quarter of 2025, according to a Fox News report.
The travel was part of the high-profile “Fighting Oligarchy” tour Sanders launched with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in response to the Trump administration, the outlet added.
“Some of these flights included Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez's chartered private jet worth up to a staggering $15,000 an hour for several West Coast stops on their ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour,” the report said.
Despite the criticism, Sanders said in his interview that the tour has been a success.
"I think at a time when the people on top are doing phenomenally well, when seniors, working-class people are struggling, people want to hear action to stand up to the people who have the wealth and the power and create an economy that works for all of us, not just the people on top," Sanders concluded.