‘Not your nature’ to ‘stand wherever you’re told’

While the House of Representatives was meeting for a contentious speakership vote, on the other side of the Capitol, Vice President Kamala Harris opened the Senate to swear in members ahead of a new Congress.

During the ceremony, a humorous interaction was caught on C-SPAN cameras between the vice president and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“Stand right here. Although that is not your nature to just stand where you’re told to stand, but give it a try,” Harris said to Sanders as the senator approached her to be sworn in.

Sanders let out a brief smile in response.

For the 83-year-old Sanders, this new term in the Senate will be fourth and likely last, he told Politico in a December interview. Sanders has been serving in the Senate since 2007. Before that, he was a member of the House of Representatives for 16 years.

Sanders slams Dems for election loss: ‘The American people are angry and want change’

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris jokingly jabs Sanders during swearing-in: ‘Stand right here’