Senator Bernie Sanders mocked billionaire Elon Musk in a post highlighting the supposed “difficulties” of extreme wealth. Sanders’ comments came following a “March for Billionaires” rally in San Francisco, where he singled out Musk as an example of the pressures faced by the ultra-rich—though his description made it clear he was ridiculing the tech billionaire.
Let’s have a little sympathy for the struggling billionaire class. pic.twitter.com/iQLRE9iN2F
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) February 9, 2026
“As you may know, Elon Musk just bought his own city in Texas, which was officially incorporated in May 2025. Well. It’s one thing to own Tesla, SpaceX, X and the Boring Company. It’s something else to be worth some $845 billion, more than the bottom 53% of American households combined. But to own your very own city. Wow! That’s a tough job. Schools, police and fire departments, garbage trucks, noise ordinances. Sympathy for Elon. He’s got his hands full,” Sanders wrote, emphasizing the contrast between Musk’s enormous wealth and the everyday responsibilities of running a city.
Visit Starbase once in your lifetime.
— Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) January 3, 2026
"Starbase is the first new city made in America in quite a few decades. It's named that because it is where we're going to develop technology necessary to take humanity to another planet, for the first time in the four & a half billion year… pic.twitter.com/BNUBWWl1SI
According to Forbes, Musk’s net worth is $849.2 billion. He became a billionaire through Tesla and SpaceX, building Tesla into the world’s most valuable electric vehicle company and revolutionizing space travel with reusable rockets. Musk also founded Neuralink, the Boring Company, and owns X (formerly Twitter), adding to the scope of his “hardships.”
Sanders also called out Musk’s media influence, connecting it to broader concerns about the concentration of power among billionaires. “When we talk about authoritarianism, it’s not just Donald Trump. Musk owns X. Bezos owns Twitch. Zuckerberg owns Instagram and Facebook. Larry Ellison controls TikTok. Billionaires increasingly control what we see, hear and read,” Sanders wrote, framing Musk as one of the ultra-wealthy shaping public discourse.
When we talk about authoritarianism, it’s not just Donald Trump.
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 3, 2026
Musk owns X
Bezos owns Twitch
Zuckerberg owns Instagram and Facebook
Larry Ellison controls TikTok
Billionaires increasingly control what we see, hear and read.
The senator extended his critique to the billionaire tax system, highlighting the extreme measures taken to avoid paying taxes. “Further, do you have any idea how much effort is involved for the top 1% to avoid paying $163 billion a year in federal income taxes that they legally owe? … Think of all the accountants, lawyers and lobbyists they must hire to rig the tax code, prevent the IRS from auditing them, stash hundreds of billions in offshore tax havens and set up secret bank accounts in places like Switzerland. That’s not easy. Show a little sympathy,” Sanders wrote.
By highlighting Musk’s sprawling business empire, city ownership, and influence over X, Sanders mocked the billionaire’s life as emblematic of the “hardships” of the ultra-rich, contrasting it sharply with the realities of ordinary Americans and raising broader questions about wealth concentration in the United States.
