Sen. Bernie Sanders spent over $220,000 on private jets during his 2025 “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, even as he attacked billionaires like Elon Musk. The contrast between his luxury travel and populist message has reignited accusations of hypocrisy.
Key Facts: Bernie Sanders Private Planes Tour Expenses
- Bernie Sanders’s campaign spent $221,723 on private jets in Q1 2025, according to FEC filings.
- The private jet spending began just days before launching his “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour in February.
- Three firms—Cirrus Aviation Services, N-Jet, and Ventura Jets—handled his charter flights.
- Sanders also spent nearly $42,000 on lodging and over $248,000 on event production.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who introduced Sanders at several events, was seen flying first class to one rally.
The Rest of the Story: A Luxury Tour to Attack the Rich
Bernie Sanders launched his “Fighting Oligarchy” Tour on February 22, 2025, with stops in Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, and several western states.
The tour is framed as a populist push to challenge billionaires like Elon Musk and champion working-class Americans.
Yet, campaign finance records show his campaign committee spent more than $221,000 chartering private jets—transport well outside the budget of the everyday workers he claims to support.
Additionally, Sanders’s team spent tens of thousands more on commercial flights, lodging, and event production.
The luxury travel appears to contrast sharply with the message Sanders promotes at his rallies.
And it’s not the first time critics have pointed out this contradiction.
His financial status and past statements have long been a target for political opponents, especially as he shifted his talking points from criticizing “millionaires and billionaires” to focusing solely on billionaires after joining the millionaire club himself.
Fighting the oligarchy in our
$15,000/hour bombardier jet. One flight on this jet carbon footprint equals that of a year of the average person. In 2022 Sanders spent
$2 million on private planes. He went curse the millionaires until he became one, so he upped it billionaires.
A… pic.twitter.com/YcD80kbRh2— Lady (@lovingit111) April 18, 2025
Commentary: The Hypocrisy of the Elite Class Crusaders
Bernie Sanders has built his brand on opposing the wealthy elite, but he’s adopted their travel habits with enthusiasm.
While preaching against income inequality, he rides in private jets, the same jets he implies are tools of the so-called “oligarchs.”
That contradiction doesn’t go unnoticed—especially by working-class Americans footing the bill through campaign donations.
Bernie Sanders and AOC disembark from a private jet to go 'fight oligarchy'… Sanders has spent over $220,000 on jets so far this year. Full story here: https://t.co/olQCyWvlRh pic.twitter.com/WMqsApkoGF
— m o d e r n i t y (@ModernityNews) April 18, 2025
This isn’t new behavior.
Back in 2020, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ridiculed Sanders during a debate, calling out his millionaire status and multiple homes.
It rang true then, and it’s even more glaring now as Sanders racks up private jet expenses while claiming to fight for the common man.
It’s the same old pattern: politicians pushing socialist policies who live nothing like the people they claim to represent.
Whether it’s Bernie with his jets and homes or AOC flying first class to speak about inequality, their actions betray their rhetoric.
The left’s leadership class demands others sacrifice in the name of equity but never seems to include themselves.
Sanders lectures America about rigged economies while flying private and living in comfort, protected from the very hardships he says he’s fighting against.
These aren’t accidental oversights; they’re baked into the culture of the political elite.
The message is clear: rules for thee, but not for me.
If Sanders truly believes the economy is rigged, he might start by living like the people he says he represents—flying coach and staying at budget hotels.
Until then, it’s hard to take the slogans seriously.
The Bottom Line: Why Sanders’s Private Jet Spending Matters
Bernie Sanders’s expensive private jet travel during a campaign against the wealthy elite is more than tone-deaf—it’s symbolic of a broader double standard.
The contradiction between his rhetoric and reality undermines his credibility with working Americans.
For a man decrying oligarchy, he’s sure traveling like one.
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