Bernie Sanders’ mittens: Vermont senator’s Inauguration Day outfit lights up social media
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) arrives at the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. During today's inauguration ceremony Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the Uni (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON - Sen. Bernie Sanders drew attention on social media during Wednesday’s 2021 presidential inauguration for an unlikely reason: his outfit.
The Vermont senator wore a bulky winter coat, handmade mittens and carried an unexplained manila envelope during the event. He also donned a blue face mask and his trademark glasses.
Former presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th US President on January 20, 2021, at the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
Many people tweeted that his look was more suitable for winters in the Green Mountain State.
According to Vermont newspaper Seven Days, Jen Ellis, a teacher from Essex Junction, made the mittens for Sanders. "She used repurposed wool from sweaters and lined them with fleece. She generally sells mittens at craft fairs or gives them to friends. Sanders' daughter-in-law, Liza Driscoll, runs Ellis' daughter's daycare, so one holiday season, Ellis made mittens for all the teachers — plus Bernie," Seven Days wrote.
The mittens became such a social media sensation that the winter clothing item already has its own Twitter account.
"We support this vision for a better world — for all people and all mittens," @BerniesMittens wrote.
In Sanders’ sartorial defense, local weather reports called for temperatures to be around 40 degrees during the Washington, D.C. ceremony with wind gusts up to 40 mph as a cold front moved through the district.
But it wasn’t only the outfit that drew attention online.
The senator's relaxed demeanor, sitting in a socially-distanced chair with his arms crossed, caught the attention of social media users and instantly became a meme.
Biden, Harris arrive at US Capitol for inauguration
Watch as President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, arrive at the complex before his swearing-in ceremony. They were accompanied by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband, Douglas Emhoff, and were greeted by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
Sanders campaigned for the presidential Democratic nomination, but dropped out of the race in the spring of 2020.
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were sworn in at the U.S. Capitol for their historic inauguration Wednesday, flanked by a cadre of former presidents, including George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.
RELATED: Inauguration Day 2021: Biden sworn in as 46th president, Harris becomes first female vice president
Biden became the nation's 46th president while Harris blazed a new path for women and minorities. She's the first female, Black and Asian vice president in the history of the country.
This story was reported from Los Angeles.