Sen. Bernie Sanders skipped elevated garb – and his viral meme mittens from Joe Biden's inauguration – to celebrate newly minted New York mayor Zohran Mamdani's second swearing in.
The Vermont progressive wore a green winter puffer coat to the ceremony where he swore-in Mamdani outside City Hall following an introduction by another protégé, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Sanders went viral five years ago when he wore brown and white mittens, detailed with a chevron pattern. He also wore a characteristically unbothered expression with a COVID-19 mask on his face, crossing his hands, which created a memorable online moment. The "Bernie Sanders mitten meme" spurred Christmas ornaments, merch and T-shirts.
At the swearing in ceremony, Mamdani's fellow democratic socialist said the newly minted mayor's agenda focused on addressing affordability is not radical. Sanders said New Yorkers needed to continue their push for his policies such as free buses, universal childcare and even city-run grocery stores. Sanders' longtime pitch to have wealthy Americans and large corporations pay more in taxes was met by chants of "tax the rich."
Mamdani is the 112th person — but the first Muslim and the first person of South Asian descent — to lead the nation's largest city.
