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Kamala Picks A Fight With Bernie Sanders?

During the swearing-in ceremony of the 119th Congress, Vice President Kamala Harris shared a brief, humorous moment with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who was preparing to begin his fourth term in the Senate. As Sanders approached the podium for the ceremony, Harris jokingly asked him to stand in a certain spot, noting that it wasn’t typically his style to simply follow instructions. She patted him on the back with a smile, and Sanders chuckled in response before the two proceeded with the formalities of the oath.

This lighthearted interaction occurred amid a busy day on Capitol Hill, as Harris officially opened the Senate for the new Congress. In contrast, the House of Representatives was engaged in a contentious battle over the Speakership. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) managed to retain his position by just a single vote, underscoring the thin margins that Republicans are working with in the current political climate.

Though Sanders is an independent, he frequently allies with Democrats on key issues. He supported Harris’s bid for president in 2024, but his relationship with the Democratic Party has become more critical in recent years. Following the 2020 election, Sanders expressed dissatisfaction with how the party had distanced itself from working-class Americans, a trend he believes contributed to the party’s struggles in the election. He pointed out that many working-class voters felt abandoned by the Democratic Party, and as a result, they turned away from it, giving rise to the populist sentiments that fueled Trump’s success.

Now entering his fourth Senate term, Sanders remains a prominent figure in American politics, while Harris’s future remains uncertain, as speculation grows about her next political steps after her time in the White House. With Republicans gaining influence in the House and a rising populist movement, both Sanders and Harris will have to navigate a rapidly changing political landscape in the years ahead.