The Sweet Story Behind Bernie Sanders' Viral Mittens at Inauguration

Sen. Bernie Sanders' cozy Inauguration Day accessory has a sweet story behind it.

While attending President Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, the Vermont senator went viral on social media over his practical outfit -- and more specifically, his mittens. Not only were the brown-and-cream knit gloves a fashion statement -- and kept Bernie's hands toasty in the chilly D.C. weather -- but they were made by someone extra special: a teacher from his state.

According to BuzzFeed, a Vermont teacher named Jen Ellis made the mittens for Bernie a few years ago -- and he later wore them on the campaign trail. Last January, Ellis, a teacher from Essex Junction, shared on Twitter that she used repurposed wool sweaters to make the mittens fleece made from recycled plastic bottles.

"I made Bernie’s mittens as a gift a couple years ago," Ellis wrote at the time, alongside a photo of her homemade gloves. "They are made from repurposed wool sweaters and lined with fleece (made from recycled plastic bottles). #BerniesMittens."

Per the Vermont publication, Seven Days, Bernie's daughter-in-law, Liza Driscoll, was the director of the preschool Ellis' daughter attended at the time. Ellis had made the colorful mittens for all the teachers as well as Bernie.

The mittens even have their own Twitter account under the username @BerniesMittens.

Bernie -- a strong supporter of the Green New Deal -- rocked his environmentally sustainable gloves at Wednesday's inauguration ceremony. The former presidential candidate also donned a light brown coat from Burton, a Vermont-based company.

When asked by CBS about his casual and practical ensemble, Bernie said, "You know in Vermont, we dress warm, we know something about the cold, and we're not so concerned about good fashion, we want to keep warm. And that's what I did today."

People took to Twitter to praise Bernie's outfit and his adorable mittens in particular. At one point, Bernie even became one of the top trending topics on Twitter.

"In all the inauguration fashion news, let us not overlook Senator Bernie Sanders' mittens," a fan wrote.

"Bernie Sanders in his mittens just might be one of the most adorable things you'll see today," a person tweeted, while another added, "This is now a Bernie Sanders mittens stan account."

Another user said, "cant focus on the inauguration cause all I can think about is Bernie's mittens."

See more reactions to Bernie's mittens in the tweets, below!