By now you’ve probably seen over a thousand iterations of the Bernie Sanders inauguration meme. This is easily the biggest meme to hit the internet in 2021. It’s so widespread that I’ve even received a text from my mom about it, and there is no way she knows what a meme is.
The image of a supremely comfortable Bernie Sanders sitting cross-legged in a fold-out chair wearing a jacket he’s definitely owned for over a decade and heavy (sustainably sourced and locally made!) mittens is an image that will probably continue to register in the cultural zeitgeist for a long time. But what all Bernie memes carry weight online, this is the first one to get so big that there’s official merch.
That’s right, the Bernie meme is now a sweatshirt. An official sweatshirt — which means there are definitely already bootlegs — sold by the Bernie Sanders campaign in an effort to raise funds for Meals on Wheels Vermont. The $45 crewneck runs from sizes small to 2X and features the now-famous image screen printed on a charcoal grey base. 100% of the proceeds go directly towards Meals on Wheels Vermont and the sweatshirt sports combed ring-spun organic cotton fleece, made in the USA, and Union printed, which is just so Bernie.
Right now the sweaters are so back-ordered that they won’t ship out for at least 4-8 weeks, which will hopefully give Bernie’s people enough time for a stock replenishment. Otherwise, these sweaters are definitely going to end up on aftermarket sites like StockX or eBay for an exorbitant price.