About

"I Wrote the Damn Bill" is a memorable quote uttered by Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2020 Democratic Party Presidential Debates in Detroit. The phrase, which Sanders used to defend his universal healthcare bill, became a meme used to express one's confidence in their argument.

Origin

On July 26th, 2019, CNN aired the Second Democratic Debate. During the debate, Senator Sanders defended his signature campaign promise of the Medicare for All universal healthcare plan, stating that it covers all healthcare needs for "senior citizens, [and] will finally include dental care, hearing aids and eyeglasses." Opponent Tim Ryan criticized Sanders saying, "You don't know that, Bernie." Sander responded, "I do know that. I wrote the damn bill" (shown below).

Spread

That evening, Sanders' tweeted ^[1] the moment from his verified Twitter account. The post received more than 52,000 likes and 11,000 retweets in 24 hours (shown below).

I wrote the damn bill! #MedicareForAll #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/4YtVuDbPWc

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) July 31, 2019

The moment inspired a number of memes. Twitter user @KyleKulinski tweeted a Supa Hot Fire meme with the phrase. The post received more than 6,000 likes and 1,500 retweets in 24 hours (shown below).

Bernie to Tim Ryan: "I do know that I wrote the damn bill!" #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/OMKlAHFxLU

— Secular Talk (@KyleKulinski) July 31, 2019

Twitter user @nachdermas tweeted,^[3] "bernie shouting 'i wrote the damn bill' is the first time i have felt genuinely happy in 367 years." Within 24 hours, the tweet received more than 4,000 likes and 480 retweets (shown below).

The following day, Sanders tweeted^[2] a call for donations and offered stickers that read, "I wrote the damn bill." The tweet received more than 4,200 likes and 990 retweets in 24 hours (shown below, left).

Throughout the day, people tagged the line onto various image macros and other jokes and messages of support for Sanders (examples below, center and right).

Additionally, the line became the subject of discussion on Reddit. Redditor^[4] MustardTiger05 posted an image of the quote in the /r/MurderedByWords subreddit, where it received more than 53,000 points (88% upvoted) and 2,000 comments in 24 hours (shown below).

Throughout the day, others shared clips and posts about the quote. In the /r/SandersForPresident^[5] subreddit, the quote received more than 21,000 points (87% upvoted); in /r/politics,^[6] the quote received 11,000 points (95% upvoted); and in /r/OurPresident,^[7] the quote received more than 7,600 points (90% upvoted).

Search Interest

External References