Bernie Sanders Was All Bundled up to Swear Zohran Mamdani in as Mayor of New York

Because inaugurations typically happen in January, politicians often have to be pretty bundled up when attending the ceremony. In 2021, Bernie Sanders went viral for his huge mittens and puffer coat at Joe Biden's inauguration, and he appeared to be rocking a very similar look to attend the swearing-in of Zohran Mamdani in New York City.

Sen. Sanders was on hand to deliver the oath of office to Mamdani, which led many to wonder why Sanders had been selected to serve that role. Here's what we know.

The obvious reasons for Sanders to be given such a central role in Mamdani's inauguration is because he is a leader in the progressive movement, and has been since his 2016 campaign for president. Mamdani was undoubtedly influenced by Sanders's politics. Although Sanders is now a senator for the state of Vermont, he is originally from Brooklyn, as his distinct accent makes clear.

"I'm here mostly to thank the people of New York City. At a time in our country's history when we are seeing too much hatred, too much divisiveness, and too much injustice, thank you for electing Zohran Mamdani as your mayor," Sanders explained. "New York, thank you for inspiring our nation. Thank you for giving us, from coast to coast, the hope and the vision that we can create government that works for all — not just the wealthy and the few."

Sanders also actively campaigned for Mamdani both during the primary and general election, and it's clear that he wanted to be on hand to express his support for Mamdani, who is now one of the most prominent Democratic socialist elected officials in the nation.

Sanders also said that, in "a moment when people in America and in fact the world are losing faith in Democracy, over 90,000 of you in this city volunteered for Zohran's campaign."

He called Mamdani's victory a major "upset," and reinforced what has been a core message of his rhetoric for at least a decade.

"You showed the world the most important lesson that can be learned today," Sanders said. "That is that when working people stand together, when we don't let them divide us up, there is nothing we cannot accomplish."

While there was no explicit explanation of why Sanders was selected, it seems like Mamdani is trying to position himself as squarely within the lineage of Sanders's political ideas. Sanders is obviously a national political figure, but it's also worth noting that this inauguration was not his formal swearing-in.

Mamdani's formal swearing-in occurred at midnight and was done by New York Attorney General Zohran Mamdani. This event was a bit of political theater, and it's exactly the kind of event that Mamdani and his team have been so adept at over the past year. Now, we'll find out whether Mamdani's talents as a politician translate into good governance.