Political Communication
Surprise Guest at Popular Music Festival
As part of his "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, Senator Bernie Sanders made a surprise appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on April 12, 2025. Representative Maxwell Frost introduced Sanders, who spoke to the festival audience before indie pop musician Clairo's performance. He urged the younger generation to fight for racial, social, and economic justice in his brief statement, emphasizing their crucial role in determining America's destiny. Sanders emphasized Clairo's activism in promoting women's rights and calling for an end to the war in Gaza. He also condemns the Trump administration's policies, especially those related to women's rights and climate change. Sanders' appearance followed a rally in Los Angeles earlier that day, where he and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addressed a crowd of 36,000 people, focusing on combating greed, corruption, and advocating for healthcare as a human right.
Sanders’ speech at Coachella was direct and emotionally charged. He criticized Trump-era policies on reproductive rights and climate change, denounced millionaires like Elon Musk, and warned of a rising American oligarchy. Sanders wanted to inspire a younger, socially conscious audience by connecting political action to popular culture. His main point was very clear. The next generation's passion and engagement are crucial to the fight for racial, economic, and environmental justice. Rather than listing policy points, he focused on the moral urgency of getting involved. He made good use of both rational and emotive arguments. On an emotional level, he emphasized common ideals like justice and dignity while sparking anger against injustice and unchecked wealth. He logically emphasized how policy choices impact people's daily lives, particularly in relation to human rights, healthcare, and climate change. By emphasizing Clairo's involvement, he gave the audience a sense of personal connection and relevance to politics.
I found the speech compelling and personalized to its audience. Sanders was able to make young people feel empowered rather than overwhelmed by finding a balance between urgency and hope. His appearance at a music festival rather than a traditional rally increased the impact and accessibility of his message. It seemed like a sincere effort to establish a connection rather than a political stunt. Whether or not someone agrees with his policies, it's hard to deny the conviction behind his words.
How did Mainstream News Outlets and Social Media Frame the Narrative?
In the days following Bernie Sanders’ unexpected speech at Coachella 2025, polarized reactions sparked among media outlets and social media platforms. Mainstream news sources across the political spectrum interpreted the moment through distinct ideological lenses, shaping how audiences understood Sanders’ message. Conservative media groups rejected the speech as being too political and unsuitable for a music festival, while liberal media praised it as an inspiring and important call to action for young voters. Meanwhile, public reaction on social media ranged from enthusiastic praise to mockery of his delivery, reflecting the generational and partisan divides that often shape online discourse. By comparing coverage from both sides of the media landscape and analyzing user reactions on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, we can better understand how framing influences the perceived legitimacy and effectiveness of political speech.
Liberal-leaning mainstream media tended to frame Sanders’ speech as an inspirational and strategic move in the political sphere. The Nation, a liberal news outlet, commended the senator's ability to engage a young audience in an unconventional setting. His appeals for economic reform, climate change, and peace in Gaza were all highlighted in the piece. The Nation presents the speech, under the larger context of Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” campaign, as an urgent and necessary response to a generation gradually becoming more disillusioned with traditional politics. Additionally, the speech is spoken about as a genuine attempt to address young people on matters that directly impact their futures in a setting where they congregate and pay attention, rather than as opportunistic. [1]
The New York Post and other conservative media, on the other hand, quickly mocked the address. Their piece criticized Sanders for bringing partisan politics into a place intended for enjoyment and escape, calling his comments a "ranting speech." The Post emphasized how inappropriate his speech was, drawing a comparison between Sanders' festival attendance and Trump's welcome at a UFC event in Florida, where the article describes the president as receiving a "thunderous reaction." The article suggested that Sanders was out of touch with the Coachella audience and went too far by using the event as a political platform by spotlighting his criticism of billionaires and his reference to the healthcare system and climate policy. Instead of framing the event as a sincere political involvement, it presented it as performative and self-serving. [2]
Public reactions on social media reflected the same ideological divisions seen in traditional media. Progressive groups praised Sanders on Instagram for entering a youth-centered platform and using it to talk about important problems. For example, a clip of the speech was posted by the left-leaning account @occupydemocrats, captioned, "BERNIE SANDERS SHOCKS COACHELLA! Bernie Sanders made an unexpected cameo at Coachella and gave a stirring speech about equality and justice." Users praised Sanders for tackling important problems like reproductive rights and climate change in the post's overwhelmingly positive comment section. With comments like "National treasure right here" and "Please keep fighting the good fight - dont stop now, Bernie!" many commended the speech as inspirational.
“Speaking on a Saturday night, before one of the most anticipated performances at one of the biggest music festivals in the world, is not a typical move for a political figure. But it is what movement builders do.”
- John Nichols
“Sanders also harped on issues such as women’s rights, raged against the “billionaire class,” and harped on the inadequacies of the American healthcare industry.”
-Shane Galvin, NY Post
Conversely, conservative media outlets and social media accounts framed Sanders’ speech as misguided and out of touch. "Bernie Sanders’ Coachella Speech Proves the Democrats Are LOST" is the description for an Instagram reel of Sanders' appearance that was shared by the right-leaning publication The Daily Signal. "You truly cannot make this stuff up," the post sarcastically said, mocking Sanders for discussing "the evils of capitalism… at one of the most capitalist, elite, influencer-packed festivals on the planet." They continued, "The irony is strong with this one and further proves that Donald Trump has modern Democrats STUMPED on how to respond to his agenda," the passage went on to say. This tweet demonstrated how right-wing media used the situation to draw attention to alleged hypocrisy within the Democratic Party, in contrast to the overwhelmingly favorable comments found on progressive accounts such as @occupydemocrats. The tone and wording strongly backed well-known conservative talking points about Democratic weakness, elitism, and hypocrisy. The ideological echo chambers of social media, where the same event is understood in completely different ways by audiences inclined to either acclaim or ridicule the speaker, are highlighted by the stark contrast between this framing and the praise from left-wing platforms.
The traditional media frame of Bernie Sanders’ Coachella speech reflected the polarized media landscape described by Andrey Mir in “How the Media Polarized Us." Sanders was presented by The Nation as a fearless spokesperson for youth activism, in line with Mir's idea of "post-journalism," which aims to validate audience beliefs and anxieties. [3] Journalist John Nichols disregarded criticism of Sanders' appearance, framing it as a deliberate attempt to reach out to disenchanted young people. Mir's remark that "reader-driven media manufacture anger" and allegiance rather than objectivity is reflected in this.
The Daily Signal, a conservative publication, on the other hand, represented the opposite extreme on Instagram. The post titled "Bernie Sanders’ Coachella Speech Proves the Democrats Are LOST" made fun of Sanders for speaking out against capitalism at a festival that is renowned for its celebrity-driven consumerism. This supports Mir's claim that "post-journalism" has been adopted by right-wing media as well in order to validate conservative fears of societal loss. [3] The Daily Signal used wording intended to provoke outrage among the Democratic Party's constituency, portraying Sanders' address as proof of the party's elitism and hypocrisy. This framing was equally biased, offering little substantive analysis of Sanders’ actual message and focusing instead on cultural irony and partisan mockery.
According to Steven Waldman in "An Overlooked — and Increasingly Important — Clue to How People Vote" (Politico, November 9, 2024), social media's reaction exposed the profound ideological divisions that characterize contemporary conversation. [4] With captions like "National treasure right here," the progressive account @occupydemocrats praised Sanders' message and garnered a ton of positive feedback. Conservative websites such as The Daily Signal's Instagram, on the other hand, made fun of Sanders with no counterarguments. This is effectively explained by Waldman's data, which shows that platforms like Instagram and TikTok have emerged as the main news sources for young voters, with 46% of 18 to 29-year-olds utilizing social media for news compared to just 3% of seniors. [4] The audience fragmentation, however, increases polarization and reinforces preexisting attitudes because each group is only exposed to accounts that are validating. Waldman emphasizes how voter behavior has also changed as a result of this divide: Trump's team's proficiency with the new social media landscape, which prioritizes direct-to-voter communications, helped him increase his Latino vote share from 32% in 2020 to 45% in 2024. [4]
Compared to the interpretations offered by traditional and social media, my own assessment of Sanders' speech was more impartial after conducting this research. I was able to assess The Nation's and The Daily Signal's biases thoroughly and develop my own viewpoint by investigating their coverage. While neither publication provided an objective assessment, I saw the speech as a sincere effort to rally young voters around progressive causes. Mir's claim that contemporary media "prioritizes agenda over truth, resembling propaganda" is supported by this. [3] Once a reliable source of information, traditional media today primarily caters to core subscribers, and social media widens this gap. Social media sites reinforce preexisting beliefs and divide audiences, as Waldman points out. [4] In general, social media worsens polarization and hinders ideological communication, which is more detrimental to democracy than beneficial. Politicians like Sanders often come across differently in person than how media outlets repackage them for audience engagement and ideological affirmation. This demonstrates how important it is for consumers to be critical and conscious of how the media molds and distorts political messages in the context of political communication and journalism.
Works Cited
[1]Nichols, John. “Why Bernie Sanders Went to Coachella.” The Nation, 16 Apr. 2025, www.thenation.com/article/politics/bernie-sanders-coachella-speech-reaction/.
[2]Galvin, Shane. “Sen. Bernie Sanders Delivers Ranting Speech at Coachella Festival as Trump Thrills Ufc Crowd in Florida.” New York Post, New York Post, 13 Apr. 2025, nypost.com/2025/04/13/us-news/coachella-2025-bernie-sanders-delivers-ranting-speech-at-festival-as-trump-thrills-ufc-crowd-in-florida/?
[3]Mir, Andrey. “How the Media Polarized US.” City Journal, 23 Mar. 2023, www.city-journal.org/article/how-the-media-polarized-us.
[4]Waldman, Steven. “An Overlooked — and Increasingly Important — Clue to How People Vote.” Politico, Nov. 2024, www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/11/09/social-media-traditional-news-elections-00188548.