Senator Bernie Sanders (I–VT) appeared to stumble during a CNN town hall Wednesday night when asked about Republican dominance on social media, sparking widespread online mockery.
The 83-year-old senator joined Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–NY) at a live event in Washington, D.C., discussing the government shutdown and challenges facing the Democratic Party.
The moment turned awkward when a college student, Nicole Plewicka, questioned why Republicans—led by President Donald Trump—seem to connect more effectively with younger audiences on social media.
“Republicans have been appealing to audiences, especially young people like myself, using social media,” Plewicka said. “Why does Republican messaging on social media seem so much more effective than Democratic messaging, and what can we do about it?”
Sanders hesitated before giving a tentative answer: “That’s a great question… uhh… I think the Republicans are effective; they have learned a lot about social media. And by the way, it doesn’t hurt that they have friends on all of the social media platforms. You know, Bezos owns Twitter or X… Zuckerberg owns Meta, Facebook, and Instagram.”
The crowd responded with a mix of laughter and groans as Sanders appeared to confuse Jeff Bezos—the Amazon founder who owns The Washington Post—with Elon Musk, the actual owner of X (formerly Twitter).
He went on, “Uh, Larry Ellison is going to own you pretty soon; I think he’s going to take over CNN, not to mention CBS.”
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The slip quickly went viral on platforms like X and TikTok, drawing criticism about Sanders’ grasp of modern digital culture.
Conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong tweeted, “It’s embarrassing that Bernie doesn’t even know who owns the world’s biggest social media platform. These are the same people lecturing everyone else on media literacy.”
While this gaffe attracted the most attention, Sanders faced another tense exchange later in the evening. During a discussion about the government shutdown, he was challenged by a student on whether Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–NY) was responsible for the budget deadlock.
Sanders defended Schumer, pointing instead to House Speaker Mike Johnson and President Trump. “This is leadership that said it’s okay to give a trillion dollars in tax breaks to the richest people and then make massive cuts to healthcare for working-class people,” he said.
The student countered that Schumer had voted for multiple short-term spending bills but was refusing to negotiate the current one. “He has the opportunity to vote for one again, but he’s refusing to come to the table,” the student argued.
Sanders, visibly frustrated, responded, “They need 60 votes in the Senate. That means you have to talk to the other side. Mike Johnson is not talking. John Thune is not talking. President Trump is not talking. That is the problem.”
This back-and-forth highlighted growing Democratic anxiety as the shutdown extends into its third week. Republicans claim Senate Democrats engineered the impasse to demand more healthcare funding and political leverage, while the White House accuses conservatives of using the budget fight to block aid programs.
Throughout the event, Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez framed the shutdown as part of a Republican effort to “dismantle government” and deny healthcare to working Americans. Yet, the evening underscored how Democrats are increasingly on the defensive—both politically and digitally—as young voters gravitate toward right-wing populist messaging.
In a playful jab, the White House even mocked Sanders by presenting him with a large sombrero.
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