Bernie Sanders Mittens
Also known as: Bernie Sitting · Chairman Sanders · Unfazed Bernie · Bernie's Mittens
Bernie Sanders Mittens is a viral photo meme from the January 20, 2021 presidential inauguration of Joe Biden, showing Senator Bernie Sanders sitting alone in a folding chair wearing a Burton parka and oversized wool mittens, arms crossed, looking thoroughly unbothered by the ceremony around him. The image, captured by AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski, became the first major meme of the Biden era as people photoshopped the bundled-up senator into every setting imaginable2. The mittens themselves, handmade by Vermont teacher Jen Ellis from repurposed wool sweaters and recycled plastic bottles, became a feel-good story that raised $1.8 million for Vermont charities13.
Overview
The meme centers on a single photograph: Bernie Sanders, 79 years old, seated in a metal folding chair at the 2021 presidential inauguration. His legs are crossed, his arms are folded, and his hands are wrapped in chunky brown-and-cream patterned mittens. He's wearing a heavy olive-green Burton parka over a suit jacket, with a blue surgical mask slightly askew on his face. A manila envelope is tucked under one arm1.
What made the image so meme-worthy was the contrast. While other attendees showed up in designer coats and carefully coordinated outfits, Sanders looked like he had stopped by on his way to the post office9. The pose radiated a very specific energy: cold, slightly annoyed, pragmatic, completely indifferent to the pageantry. People immediately recognized themselves in it. The image worked as a blank canvas because Sanders and his folding chair could be cleanly cut out and dropped into any background, from the Iron Throne to a New York City subway car11.
On January 20, 2021, AFP photographer Brendan Smialowski captured the now-iconic image of Senator Bernie Sanders at President Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on the East Portico of the U.S. Capitol10. The temperature was the coldest at any inauguration in over a decade, with the strongest winds in nearly 40 years7.
Sanders wore a light brown Burton jacket from the Vermont-based snowboard company, the same coat he'd worn during his 2020 presidential campaign4. The mittens were made by Jen Ellis, a second-grade teacher from Essex Junction, Vermont. Ellis had given Sanders the mittens over two years earlier as a gift after he lost the 2016 Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton11. She included a note saying "I believe in you, I've always believed in you, and I hope you run again"9. The mittens were crafted from repurposed wool sweaters and lined with fleece made from recycled plastic bottles1.
BuzzFeed News political reporter Ruby Cramer was among the first to identify the mittens' backstory, tweeting about their origin during the ceremony1. Within minutes of the photograph circulating, Twitter exploded with reactions and photoshop edits.
Origin & Background
How It Spread
Platforms
Timeline
2021-01-20
Biden's inauguration; Sanders wears memorable mittens and parka
How to Use This Meme
The standard format takes the cutout of Sanders sitting in his folding chair and places him into a new scene or setting. The humor typically comes from one of a few angles:
- Location swap: Drop Sanders into a famous movie scene, album cover, painting, or landmark photo. The more formal or dramatic the setting, the funnier his indifferent posture reads. - Relatable mood: Caption the original or edited image with text about being cold, bored, antisocial, or just wanting to go home. His body language reads as universal "I don't want to be here" energy. - Vermont dad energy: Play on his practical clothing choices by placing him in everyday scenarios like waiting at the post office, grocery shopping, or sitting at a bus stop. - Political commentary: Use the image to comment on Sanders' outsider status within the Democratic Party or his working-class aesthetic versus political glamour.
The image works best when the contrast between Sanders' casual indifference and the setting is at its sharpest.
Cultural Impact
Full History
Fun Facts
Sanders had previously lent the original mittens to someone else. When Ellis found out, she sent him ten additional pairs.
The manila envelope Sanders carried to the inauguration was simply the original envelope his inauguration tickets came in. People joked it contained the Green New Deal or $2,000 stimulus checks.
Ellis' mittens feature a pattern with a "vague nod to Fair Isle" on the outside and blue-and-white palms.
Sanders wore the mittens to the Women's March in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in January 2020, and the Burton jacket during a campaign stop in Utah in March 2020.
Comedian Julia Claire's tweet, "I will never forget Bernie honoring our middle class New England tradition of having exactly one heavy winter coat, worn to both formal and casual events," was one of the most-shared reactions.
Derivatives & Variations
Bernie in famous movie scenes (Inception, Jaws, Avengers)
A variation of Bernie Sanders Mittens
(2021)Bernie in historical moments (moon landing, ancient Rome)
A variation of Bernie Sanders Mittens
(2021)Bernie photoshopped with celebrities or politicians
A variation of Bernie Sanders Mittens
(2021)Bernie in iconic artwork or paintings
A variation of Bernie Sanders Mittens
(2021)Bernie in video game scenes or animations
A variation of Bernie Sanders Mittens
(2021)Frequently Asked Questions
References (13)
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13