Five years after his viral moment at Joe Biden’s inauguration, Bernie Sanders has recreated his iconic meme, minus the mittens. The 84-year-old Vermont senator showed up to swear in New York City’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, in a grey puffer jacket, sitting with his arms and legs crossed, a pose that instantly transported people back to 2021. Sanders accidentally became internet royalty when a photo of him sitting alone at Biden’s inauguration, masked up and wearing chunky homemade mittens, turned into one of the biggest memes of the decade. People photoshopped Sanders into everything, from classic paintings to popular movie scenes. The mittens look inspired a range of merchandise, from t-shirts to Christmas ornaments, and raised thousands for charity through sales. Wednesday’s ceremony had the same wintry vibe as Sanders sat patiently through the proceedings before swearing in his progressive protégé. This time, he wore regular gloves instead of the famous mittens, but the signature grumpy grandpa energy was still there.
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