So far in this election cycle, we’ve seen presidential candidates Kamala Harris on podcasts like “The Shade Room” and Donald Trump joining forces with influencers like Adin Ross.
However, Bernie Sanders wins the award for “most bizarre creator-politician crossover,” as he came face-to-face (ish) with vtuber Sykkuno on Oct. 22.
This occurred during a recent stream with Twitch streamers Valkyrae and Pokimane, with the stream aiming to promote Harris’ campaign. Fellow steamers Sykkuno and AustinShow also joined the discussion.
During his introduction to Sanders, Sykkuno, who appeared as a virtual anime cat-boy, explained that he was using a vtuber avatar due to a “skin condition.”
Bernie Sanders reacts to Sykkuno
Sykkuno asked Sanders: “Do you know what a vtuber is? Have you heard of a vtuber before?” to which a befuddled Sanders replied: “Nope.”
Pokimane then interjected: “It’s when they have this animated profile.”
“Oh, well, okay,” Sanders responded. Still, he assured Sykkuno that he was “looking good, looking very good.”
Sykkuno, however, remained unconvinced. He muted his mic and directly addressed viewers on his own simultaneous stream, saying: “Chat, he thinks we’re a psycho. He 100% thinks we’re a psycho.”
From then onwards, the stream became increasingly chaotic. Pokimane cosplayed as Sanders in a winter coat and mask in tribute to his viral appearance at Biden’s inauguration.
Actor Mark Hamill, YouTube star Hank Green, and entrepreneur Mark Cuban also joined at various points during the stream, talking about everything from Elon Musk to beating Sanders on “Call of Duty.”
Just another normal day on Twitch.
