Wednesday, January 20 was an historic day for America. From the West Front of the Capitol in Washington D.C., Joe Biden officially took office as the 46th President of the United States, Kamala Harris became the first woman, first Black person and first South East Asian American to be sworn in as Vice President, and the Donald was finally kicked out of the White House.
It was also the day that Bernie Sanders broke the Internet. On Inauguration Day, an image of the attending Vermont senator with his arms and legs crossed while seated in a socially-distanced fold-up chair, went viral. Bundled up for the 44-degree weather, the one-time presidential hopeful was decidedly dressed down in a brown khaki coat, standard issue disposable face mask and uber cozy knit mittens.
The eye-catching winter accessories were made by Jen Ellis, a teacher from Essex Junction in Vermont, according to Buzzfeed‘s political reporter, Ruby Cramer, crafted from repurposed wool sweaters and lined with fleece made from recycled plastic bottles.
“No one can look at those gloves and think he shouldn’t Chair the Senate Budget Committee,” one person tweeted as the image circulated.
“I see everyone mocking Bernie’s ‘grandpa at the post office’ vibe today but those mittens are clutch,” tweeted Grace Segers, a political reporter for CBS News.
The web also exploded with laugh-out-loud memes superimposing the image of the 79-year-old in a number of hysterical settings, from sitting on the couch with the Friends cast to seated next to a hot dog stand in New York City.
Sanders similarly took all the attention in stride, laughing that he was just trying to be practical while outside in the chilly temps.
“In Vermont, we dress warm – we know something about the cold. And we’re not so concerned about good fashion,” Sanders told CBS This Morning’s Gayle King with a smile. “We want to keep warm. And that’s what I did today.”
Long time Sanders supporter, Zoë Kravitz, also got in on the meme games, posting over a dozen of her beloved grassroots leader.
“This is officially my full time job,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories as she posted one meme after another.
Check out some of the funniest ones below.
So what if Sex And City is returning without Samantha, we’ve got Sanders!
Wonder what tea Sanders would spill to Will and Jada on Red Table Talk?
That pose was literally made for sitting front row at Chanel next to K.Stew.
Just hanging with the gang.
Life is life a box of chocolates when you are seated on the bench next to Forrest Gump.
He’s with the band.
Just cheering on the Lakers behind Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
Now we know what all the buzz was about with Mike Pence.
One for $6 or two for $10.
The 32-year-old actress flipped out when she saw someone place Sanders in a scene from her Hulu series, High Fidelity.
Forget Sleepy Joe, it was actually Sleepy Sanders all along.
The force is strong with this one.
“This one hit me hit deep,” commented Kravitz.
It’s one same step for Bernie Sanders, one giant leap for the Internet.
A true American patriot.
