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Here It Is — Bernie Sanders Dancing On 'Ellen'

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., laughs at a campaign event earlier this month. Sanders taped an appearance on the <em>Ellen</em> show, where he showed a lighter side.
Michael Dwyer
/
AP
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., laughs at a campaign event earlier this month. Sanders taped an appearance on the Ellen show, where he showed a lighter side.

Let's not bury the lede. Here's Bernie Sanders dancing:

The Vermont senator taped a segment on the Ellen show Wednesday that will air Thursday. There was some seriousness early on, but it was mostly light fare. He joked about his hair and played along in a lightning round when he was asked:

-- What Republican presidential candidate would want to be stuck on a deserted island with. After a long pause, he said, "Marco Rubio; he's used to the sun." Rubio's from Florida.

-- If he was a flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream (based in Burlington, Vt., where Sanders is from), what would he be called? "Burn, Bernie, Burn." "So, it would be hot and spicy ice cream?" DeGeneres joked.

-- Whether he had ever been in handcuffs. "Yes," he said quickly, before pausing and following up, "I don't know exactly what you mean by that." Well, then. "When I was young, I was involved in a civil rights demonstration, and I was arrested," Sanders clarified. "All right, let's call it a civil-rights demonstration," DeGeneres quipped.

-- Better hair — him or Trump? He pointed to his cranium, obviously.

-- Favorite member of the band One Direction? With a little help from the audience, "Harry," he answered.

-- What karaoke song would he sing. "Stayin' Alive," or, as he called it, "John Travolta walking down the street."

-- Boxers or briefs? "Briefs."

-- Favorite swear word? "Can't say." (At least, on television, right?)

DeGeneres also gave him a present — a mobile fold-out lectern in a briefcase. What else do you get a traveling candidate who has everything, right?

He came out dancing to "Disco Inferno." ("Burn, baby, burn." Get it?):

And, appropriately, he did a little something of a disco move. So, here's more dancing (followed by serious stuff, and a really awkward high five that never quite materializes):

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Domenico Montanaro is NPR's senior political editor/correspondent. Based in Washington, D.C., his work appears on air and online delivering analysis of the political climate in Washington and campaigns. He also helps edit political coverage.