Bernie Sanders introduces Clairo at Coachella, urging young Americans to “stand up for justice”
- Text by Isaac Muk
- Photography by Brookings Institution, Justin Higuchi
Coachella charmed — The Vermont Senator praised the singer-songwriter for her efforts in raising awareness of women’s rights issues and Gaza.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders introduced Clairo on Saturday at Coachella 2025, addressing the crowd with a politically charged speech.
Speaking to the thousands in attendance, plus many more streaming the festival online, he called on young people in the USA to take action and “stand up for justice”.
“This country faces some very difficult challenges, and the future of what happens to America depends on your generation,” he said. “You can turn away and ignore what goes on, but if you do that, you do it at your own peril.”
Sanders went on to criticise President Donald Trump’s record on climate change, saying: “[Trump] thinks climate change is a hoax. He is dangerously wrong.”
He also criticised politicians “trying to take away a woman’s right to control her own body”, as well as the USA’s “healthcare system that is broken”, and called on those listening to “stand up to the insurance companies and drug companies and understand that healthcare is a human right”.
To introduce Clairo to the stage, Sanders praised the Charm singer-songwriter for using her platform to highlight women’s rights issues, as well as the “terrible, brutal war in Gaza where thousands of women and children are being killed”.
Clairo, whose real name is Claire Cottrill, released her third album Charm last year. It led to her highest charting album to date, debuting at number eight on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2022, she wore a t‑shirt that read: “Bans Off Our Bodies” while performing at Glastonbury Festival, as well as performing at Palestine and Sudan benefit concerts in New Jersey and London.
Watch Sen. Bernie Sanders’s full address below.
Isaac Muk is Huck’s digital editor. Follow him on Bluesky.
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