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.
Buy your copy of Huck 81 here.
Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.
Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.
You might like
The Uncanny Valley: Huck’s April Newsletter
Emma Garland reflects on what we can learn from this years’ edition of Coachella festival – the canary in the coal mine of US pop culture.
Written by: Emma Garland
Palestine Action ban ruling set for Supreme Court appeal
Final stand — Founder Huda Ammori has won permission to challenge the Court of Appeal’s verdict, which upheld the group’s proscription as a ‘terror organisation’.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Queer resistance & sun-soaked solidarity at the world’s largest trans pride march
Our Future, Our Fight — Over the weekend, over 150,000 people marched at the London Trans+ Pride, with the parade ending at Trafalgar Square for the first time in history.
Written by: Ella Glossop
In photos: Black Texas life since emancipation
Kinship & Community — A new photobook and exhibition showcases the rich culture, history and community of African American folks in the Lone Star State, whose existence in the region predates colonial Britain.
Written by: Miss Rosen
London’s largest indoor skatepark to be demolished for padel courts
Better Extreme — The Barking skatepark’s fate follows that of similar indoor spaces in recent years, with operators GLL citing falling visitor numbers as the reason behind the decision.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Tender portraits of women serving life sentences in America
Looking Inside — While working as a public defender attorney in New York State, Sara Bennett found dilapidated prisons and forgotten people. Her new photobook harnesses the power of images and shines a humanising light on those imprisoned for serious crimes and their reintegration into society, while asking questions of the USA’s incarceration system.
Written by: Miss Rosen
