#BernieLostMe Hashtag Trends on Twitter Following Violence in Nevada

— -- Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is feeling the burn on social media after the hashtag #BernieLostMe started trending Wednesday in response to a group of his supporters who became violent at a Nevada political event this weekend.

“#BernieLostMe when he failed to tell the truth about dangerous behavior of his followers in Nevada last weekend,” Twitter user Tara Gold wrote last night.

Other critics chimed in:

Sanders addressed the issue during a campaign stop in California.

"I denounced it. I don’t know why people don’t perceive it. Violence is absolutely unacceptable. Harassing individuals is unacceptable. And I have made that as clear as I possibly can," Sanders said in an interview with ABC-owned station KGO Wednesday.

He previously released a statement on Tuesday saying party leaders in Nevada had been claiming that the Sanders campaign "has a 'penchant for violence.' That is nonsense."

"Our campaign has held giant rallies all across this country, including in high-crime areas, and there have been zero reports of violence. Our campaign of course believes in non-violent change and it goes without saying that I condemn any and all forms of violence, including the personal harassment of individuals," Sanders said.

But that didn't stop the hashtag from picking up steam, with some tweeters making a joke of it:

Others used it as an opportunity to show their support for the Vermont senator and taunt his main rival, Hillary Clinton:

This isn’t the first time a presidential candidate has come under fire on social media.

Last month, the hashtag #HillarySoQualified trended on Twitter in an effort to support the Democratic front-runner, but backfired when Sanders supporters used it to highlight Clinton’s flaws.