The Teamster dude was shit-talking the Senator the whole time. Of course he wasn’t going to fight him— it’s a Senate hearing, not a schoolyard, and they’re not children. Everyone (but Senator Jimbob, it seems) could hear how sarcastic he was being. (Edit: watch the video— it’s hilarious how he baits the Senator into his tantrum, but Bernie comes out as the real star just for acting like the grown-up in the room).

The Teamster guy baited the Senator into publicly embarrassing himself, and it worked. That’s why that Teamster dude was just sitting there and smiling the whole time; he was just egging that dickbag Senator on, and he kept falling for it until Sanders shut him down.