Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) attacked billionaire Elon Musk and wealth inequality during a speech at the Texas Democratic Party Convention in Corpus Christi.

The address signals a strategic shift for the senator as he positions himself against ultra-wealthy individuals and former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Sanders said that 900 billionaires [1] have seen their combined wealth increase by $2.2 trillion [1]. He specifically singled out Elon Musk, saying that Musk's personal wealth is three times that of the bottom 50% of American households [1].

While the speech focused heavily on economic disparity, Sanders also addressed the political climate. He said, "It is not enough to be anti‑Trump and to simply campaign against Trump."

The senator used the platform to argue that the current economic system disproportionately benefits the ultra-rich while leaving the majority of the U.S. population behind. He suggested that political opposition to Trump must be paired with a systemic challenge to the concentration of wealth, a central theme of his long-term political platform.

By delivering these remarks in Texas, Sanders targeted a state with a significant presence of high-net-worth individuals and a growing Democratic base. The speech was met with strong reactions from the convention attendees, who cheered as he detailed the gap between the wealthiest Americans and the working class.

“900 billionaires have become $2.2 trillion richer”

Sanders is attempting to pivot the Democratic conversation from a purely personality-driven opposition to Donald Trump toward a structural critique of American capitalism. By using specific, high-value figures to illustrate wealth inequality, he is attempting to mobilize the working-class vote for the 2026 midterms by framing the economic struggle as a conflict between the general public and a small number of billionaires.