Sanders defends his inauguration outfit: In Vermont, ‘we’re not so concerned about good fashion’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is defending his casual inaugural attire that quickly became a viral sensation, saying he was aiming more for warmth than “good fashion.”

The former presidential candidate was snapped Wednesday at President Biden’s inauguration looking ready for some wintry weather, sporting a gray parka and a pair of sizable, repurposed wool mittens reportedly crafted in his home state. He was also seen holding a mailing envelope.

“In Vermont, we know something about the cold,” Sanders said in an interview with CBS News’s Gayle King following the inauguration, “and we’re not so concerned about good fashion.”

“We want to keep warm. And that’s what I did today,” Sanders added.

“Mission accomplished,” replied King with a laugh.

Twitter users had jumped on Sanders’s relaxed inaugural look, with their own hot takes about his cold weather style and his apparently laid-back approach to the formal event.

10:30 – drop off dry cleaning

11:00 – Joe’s thing

2:00 – swing by the post office pic.twitter.com/JJr3SECKeB

— Brody Logan (@BrodyLogan) January 20, 2021

In Jewish yoga this pose is: waiting for my wife at Loehmann’s pic.twitter.com/Qik7wsZ0ad

— Chandra Steele (@ChanSteele) January 20, 2021

Shout out to Bernie Sanders showing up to the inauguration as if he’s headed to the UPS store and picking up some coffee in Burlington. pic.twitter.com/ZxupI4jK1f

— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) January 20, 2021

Joe Biden might be president for the next four years, but Bernie Sanders is an all-time mood pic.twitter.com/tReSfJMZIv

— Rose (@RoseEmojiTico) January 20, 2021

“This could’ve been an email” pic.twitter.com/kn68z6eDhY

— Ashley K. (@AshleyKSmalls) January 20, 2021

Sanders, 79, scolded a New York Times reporter in 2015 when asked about part of his appearance. When questioned whether then-fellow Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s hair garnered more scrutiny than his own, he replied, “When the media worries about what Hillary’s hair looks like or what my hair looks like, that’s a real problem.”