“Grumpy Bernie”: Netizens react with jokes to Bernie Sanders remaining seated during Trump’s inauguration

Let’s talk about the meme that just won’t die, no matter how hard the internet tries to move on. Yep, we're back with yet another Bernie Sanders meme moment. You might’ve thought the last meme went out with the Joe Biden inauguration in 2021, but no.

While the world was watching Donald Trump deliver his speech inside a freezing Capitol, Bernie was... sitting. As he does. The meme master himself chose not to stand for the occasion, not because he was frozen in place by the cold, but because—well—he’s Bernie Sanders.

His arms crossed, his facial expression screaming “Don’t talk to me”. Of course, everyone compared him to his 2021 moment, where he went viral for sitting in the same chair, arms crossed like he was low-key judging everyone for taking things so seriously.

An X user called him a “Grumpy Bernie”.

Another user added: “Sitting peacefully and watching the drama going around him.”

A user humorously stated: “He can’t wait to go home and nap 😭”

Another user noted: “They moved the whole event inside so he wouldn’t be cold and he’s still upset.”

Meanwhile, a user said: “New Bernie meme format just dropped.”

A comment read: “This could've been an email energy. I feel him.”

Another user mentioned: “happy to report that Bernie Sanders hasn't changed.”

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Bernie Sanders and the viral meme at the 2025 inauguration

During the 2025 inauguration of President Donald Trump, while the rest of the Capitol was on their feet applauding the new president, the Vermont senator remained seated.

Now, lest we forget, this isn’t the first time Bernie has turned a simple chair into a meme frenzy.

Crafted by Vermont teacher Jen Ellis, those mittens became the symbol of cozy discontent.

The image of Sanders in his simple, no-nonsense chair became a touchstone of comfort and political detachment.

Fast forward to January 2025, Bernie is at it again, but this time, in the Capitol Building, insulated from the chill Washington weather by holding the event indoors. That didn't prevent him from delivering the same grim faces that everyone in the room shared as they stood to applaud.

One would think after four years that the country would have learned this: You don't stand for Bernie. Bernie sits.

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Who is Bernie Sanders?

Bernie Sanders is a famous politician and activist in the U.S. currently serving as the Senator from Vermont. He was born on September 8, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York in a Jewish working-class family. Sanders finished his higher studies at the University of Chicago in 1964. During this time; he was active for civil rights and was a protester for racial equality.

Sanders went to Vermont in 1968 and began looking for local jobs to run for. His first win was the mayor vote of Burlington in 1981, where he worked for four terms on a cheap housing and care for nature plan that aimed at bettering the community.

Sanders was picked for the U.S. House of Reps in 1990 and was there for 16 years. He was the first ͏independent candidate in 40 years to get into Congress, and in 1991 he helped start the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

In 2006 he was elected to the U.S. Senate and has been re-elected multiple times, the most recently being in 2024.