Bernie Sanders spawns splash of memes with inaugural attire

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Wearing mittens made out of recycled materials and a warm winter jacket, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders pulled off a casual inauguration outfit — and vibe — that only he could.

Many people quickly highlighted the 79-year-old independent Vermont senator’s look, and created endless memes, from Wednesday’s inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, which he said was more about keeping warm than fashion.

“You know in Vermont, we dress warm, we know something about the cold, and we’re not so concerned about good fashion, we want to keep warm. And that’s what I did today,” Sanders told CBS on Wednesday.

People were particularly enthralled with Sanders’ mittens, which were made by a Vermont elementary school teacher who has a side business making mittens out of recycled wool.

“I love it that he loves them, and that he wears them,” Jen Ellis, an elementary school teacher, told NECN-TV. “And I’m totally honoured that he wore them today.”

Ellis has never met Sanders. But when her daughter went to a child care centre owned by one of his relatives, she was able to slip a pair into Sanders’ hands.

“I think people like a heartwarming story — especially now,” she said when asked about the all the attention the mittens were getting on social media.

The widespread interest in the mittens prompted Ellis to tweet Wednesday that there were “no more” of the coveted hand warmers.

Sanders has donned the mittens before while running for president in 2020 and in interviews with Vermont journalists, the station reported.

“Mittens are easy to slip on, they’re cozy, you know you’re hands stay a little warmer in a mitten, you’ve got the the body heat thing,” said Ryan Leclerc, a hard goods buyer for Onion River Sports in Montpelier, Vermont. “And you just can’t deny how stylish they are, especially the ones he was wearing.”

Sanders’ inauguration look, including a brown winter jacket made by Burton snowboards, has spawned countless memes since Wednesday including the former presidential candidate on the subway, on the moon, sitting on the couch with the cast of “Friends”.

In memes spreading across Indian Country, Sanders is draped with a Pendleton blanket sitting alongside the parade route during a tribal fair, next to the fire during a ceremony and riding in the back of a pickup truck across remote land. Even before inauguration day, he was dubbed “cheii,” the Navajo word for “grandfather.”

Ryan Leclerc, a hard goods buyer for Onion River Sports in Montpelier, Vermont, said Sanders is more about substance than style, noting the senator’s inauguration attire emulated what is “great” about the him.

“Those are the mittens you might see when you’re sipping cider around a fire. Sanders doesn’t care and it’s not important to him,” Leclerc said.

The Associated Press