Fox News star Judge Jeanine Pirro dropped a nuke on Sen. Bernie Sander’s appearance at the Coachella music festival over the weekend.
Pirro went viral on Monday after saying that attendees at Coachella would have booed Sanders’ surprise speech… if they “weren’t so stoned.”
The 83-year-old Vermont senator took to the stage Saturday to introduce singer Clairo and deliver attacks on Trump and advocating for woke “social justice” to thousands of festival-goers.
“I wanted to thank Clairo for allowing me to get up here and to thank this guy, you may or may not know him, but Maxwell Frost, he’s a member of the United States Congress, the youngest and in my view one of the best members,” Sanders said.
“I’m not going to be long but this is what I want to say. This country faces some very difficult challenges, and the future of what happens to America is dependent upon your generation,” Sanders continued.
Sanders spoke about the need for Democrats to fight “for economic justice, social justice, and racial justice.”
When Sanders mentioned President Donald Trump during his remarks, the crowd reportedly responded with boos.
“I agree. He thinks that climate change is a hoax,” he said. “He is dangerously wrong. And you and I are gonna have to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and tell them to stop destroying this planet.”
On Monday’s episode of “The Five,” Pirro slammed Sanders’ speech, and later contrasted it with Trump’s reception at a UFC event the same weekend.
“You’ve got an 83-year-old guy trying to talk to Generation Z, a political speech, when half of them are high, and they’re half dressed,” Pirro said. “They’re paying $700 to $1,500 to get a ticket, $30 for a sandwich. He’s trying to preach to them about how bad it is, talking about climate change, racism, capitalism. He’s politicizing a music event. If they weren’t so stoned, they would have booed him out.”
Pirro compared the fundamental differences between the audiences at UFC and Coachella.
“Here is the difference,” Pirro said. “First of all, you’ve got two totally different audiences, the UFC audience. You’ve got a lot of blue collar, family, working class. You’ve got everyone, you know, it’s family. There’s people who love a fight.”
“The president doesn’t have to get up, say one word, try to sell a political message. He walks in and, bang, 18,000 people are united in supporting him and the United States of America,” Pirro said.
Pirro also posted on social media about the contrast:
What’s the difference between Bernie Sanders speaking at Coachella in California, and Donald Trump walking into the UFC in Florida? Bernie Sanders, ranting and blaming America for climate change, inequality, racism, capitalism, and politicizing an event about music, which should… https://t.co/pDxsr4toHW
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) April 14, 2025
Sanders’ Coachella appearance was part of with his and Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Fighting Oligarchy” tour event in Los Angeles.
This wasn’t Sanders’ first time at the festival — he previously appeared in 2016 to introduce hip-hop duo Run The Jewels.
Critics on social media pointed out what they viewed as contradictions in Sanders’ message about economic inequality at an event where tickets reportedly cost between $600-$1,300.
“Bernie Sanders making a surprise appearance at Coachella to sermonize on the evils of wealth in front of a crowd of people who paid at least $600 a ticket to be there is peak 21st century Democratic Party,” wrote one critic.
Another commented: “So let me get this straight. Bernie Sanders went to Coachella, an event where tickets range from $700-$1,300, and an order of nachos goes for more than $100, to lecture about oligarchy. Is that right?”
Bernie Sanders takes his billionaire-bashing tour to @coachella , because nothing says “down with the rich” like $1,300 tickets and $75 nachos. pic.twitter.com/ruZPlqwOmo
— Trace Gallagher (@tracegallagher) April 15, 2025