Orono, Maine – Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders gave an impassioned speech at a rally in support of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner and gubernatorial hopeful Troy Jackson.

"The only way we're going to bring about the changes this country needs is when all of us stand together and fight back," Sanders said after taking to the stage during the latest leg of his Fight Oligarchy tour.

His comments came before a crowd of 1,400 people gathered to mark the 40th rally of the tour.

The Vermont independent used the opportunity to rally in support of universal healthcare, a key tenant of Platner's platform, and to argue that young people shouldn't have to go bankrupt to get a higher education.

Donald Trump Megyn Kelly dishes on Trump's alleged history of infidelity: "If you think he's been faithful to Melania..."

Speaking on one of the core themes of the tour, he slammed the Trump administration's close relationship with the US' tech oligarchs, particularly billionaire Elon Musk, who served a stint as head of the Department of Government Efficiency.

In particular, he warned of the risks that AI poses to people's jobs and livelihoods in Maine and elsewhere.

"What we have got to do, in my view, in terms of AI we've got to say 'Wait a second,' alright?" Sanders said.

"What we have got to do is make sure that AI and robotics work for all the people, not just the billionaires who are developing that technology."

"A great turnout in Portland, Maine," Sanders wrote on X after the rally, along with a clip of him holding hands with Platner before a cheering crowd.

"The people of Maine and all across the country are saying NO to oligarchy, NO to authoritarianism and NO to endless wars," he continued.

"Graham and Troy will take on the billionaire class and fight for a disappearing middle class. Thank you, Maine!"

Pete Hegseth Thom Tillis slams Hegseth amid Iran war: "Beginning to make Kristi Noem look like a five-star recruit"

Briefly before Sanders took to the podium, Platner gave a short speech, rallying support behind his campaign and painting himself as an everyday "son of rural Maine" who makes a living off the sea.

"Now, Senator Sanders asked a question in his 2020 presidential run," Platner told the crowd. "Are you willing to fight for somebody you don't know as much as you are willing to fight for yourself?"

"Here in Maine we are ready to fight as hard for the people we do not know as we are for the ones that we do – it is who we are and it is who we will always be," he said.