On Wednesday, after months of turmoil involving election-related conspiracy theories and even a failed MAGA coup, Joe Biden was finally inaugurated as America’s 45th president. It was a big day, with big milestones (the nation’s first female/black/Asian vice president!), lots of big stars (Lady Gaga! The New Radicals!), to say nothing of the big “malarkey” guy himself. But if you followed it all on social media, you came away with one major conclusion: the day was stolen by Bernie Sanders. And all he did was sit in a fold-out chair with tiny mittens looking vaguely grumpy and cold.
I love you so much @BernieSanders 💙 :,( pic.twitter.com/Scw7vnOEfI
— neekolul •ᴗ• (@neekolul) January 20, 2021
Sanders — who was the last presidential candidate to drop out before Biden nabbed the ticket — joined the throngs in D.C., which was big on fellow politicians and celebrities but short on regular citizens, for obvious reasons. The Vermont senator, whose policies lean towards the socialist side of things, may not be president but he does have a sweet new gig: He’s the new chair of the Senate Budget Committee, meaning he’ll be overseeing how much money goes to Americans struggling during the pandemic.
But for now, his job is being a meme celebrity. Soon Sanders was being Photoshopped into movies.
— Veers Watch (@VeersWatch) January 20, 2021
Bernie Sanders is always my favorite meme. pic.twitter.com/T4WMdW3bJN
— Trevor Pitt (@Trevor_Pitt) January 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/catarinacmrg/status/1351960308311584769
— respectful huff (@alexqarbuckle) January 20, 2021
— SubBass49 Tees (@SubBass49Tees) January 20, 2021
And TV shows.
— Gus (@WashedUpTweeter) January 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/jamesdavidsaul/status/1352018531894890496
Full disclosure this one may be photoshoped pic.twitter.com/iJpA0alYpa
— Star Trek Minus Context (@NoContextTrek) January 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/kosherhotdogz/status/1352018409110851586
And album covers.
— ben sears (@bensears) January 20, 2021
— medusa editions (@medusaeditions) January 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/TheFlirtBot/status/1351977645924356100
And other miscellaneous things.
https://twitter.com/imjoshcoll/status/1351949664455708675
Me in the Upper Deck at Shea in late September watching the Mets finish up another 72-90 season. pic.twitter.com/JStrkVJrQw
— NO CASINO IN FLUSHING (@GoodFundies) January 20, 2021
thanks for the help Bernie pic.twitter.com/sEt1d8Wgji
— squarepainter (@Squarepainter) January 20, 2021
I made this Bernie sitting meme to contribute to the cause pic.twitter.com/kvHADLRFJI
— DJ-KIMchi 🍥 (@djjkim) January 20, 2021
i’m going to cry pic.twitter.com/epZePhwUsG
— ankur (@ankurthakkar) January 20, 2021
All ages show. Have fun kids. Watch out for tha bathroom it needs a little cleaning to be perfectly honest with you pic.twitter.com/PIwX3bI2JD
— Clayton Cubitt (@claytoncubitt) January 20, 2021
https://twitter.com/EugeneGlukh/status/1351980887920025606
https://twitter.com/rania_tn/status/1351949235424530433
Will Bernie see any of this? Does he know he’s being memed? Probably not! He’s a busy and serious man, and he probably won’t enjoy some young aide explaining to him that he’s been photoshopped into Uncut Gems or the cover for Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic. But everyone else enjoyed it, and that’s what counts.