Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she’s willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump, but says early signs from the Republican have not looked promising.

“A big part of that are lobbyists and Washington insiders, and the other part of it is to bring someone who is a white supremacist into the White House to be a senior strategist,” Warren said, referring to Trump’s highly-criticized appointment of Steve Bannon as chief strategist.

The Massachusetts senator, known for bulldozing certain CEOs, was participating in a conversation at the Wall Street Journal‘s CEO Council Meeting in Washington, D.C. According to Warren’s office, the audience consisted largely of corporate executives.


While her interactions with the crowd were generally good-natured, the populist Democrat did not moderate her message.

“I think the clearest point that comes out of this election is that the American people do not want Wall Street to run their government,” Warren said. “They do not want corporate executives to be the ones calling the shots in Washington.”

“And you can shake your head ‘no’ to that, but I think that is exactly what this election shows,” she added, addressing reactions from the audience.

Warren pointed to recent polling that shows the vast majority of Americans think the economy is “rigged,” as evidence for her assessment of the electorate.

“They believe it’s rigged in favor of the people in this room,” she said.

Warren said Trump’s promise to “shake things up,” as well as his criticism of the proximity between Washington and Wall Street resonated with working-class voters.

“I want to be clear, I think Hillary Clinton ran on very much the same argument; I just think Donald Trump made it aggressively,” she said.

Warren rejected the notion that Trump’s win equated to a mandate for Republicans.

“I know that the K Street lobbyists are absolutely out there salivating,” she said. “They’re dancing in the streets. They’re saying this is our big chance. We’re going to get to slash regulations. Man, look for a tax cut for those at the top.”


Warren said she planned to hold Trump accountable to his campaign pledges to rebuild the working class, an agenda which includes some issues she and other progressive populists have signaled a willingness to cooperate on.

But Warren said cooperation would not begin with “hiring a bunch of lobbyists to run the transition.”

As the Washington Post reported, Trump has filled his transition team with campaign donors and lobbyists, despite his pledge to “drain the swamp” in Washington, D.C.

In a follow-up letter Tuesday that Warren said she sent to Trump, she listed her specific objections and pledged to categorically oppose the president “every step of the way” if he did not remove the “lobbyists and financial bigwigs” from his transition team.

The early reports of who is on your transition team indicate that, despite your campaign promises, you are looking to industry insiders, lobbyists and other special interests to shape Washington D.C. under your administration. If you truly want to make Washington, D.C. work for the American people, you have the opportunity – indeed, you have the responsibility – to remove the lobbyists and financial bigwigs from your transition team and reinstate a group of advisors who will fight for the interests of all Americans. Let me be clear. Should you refuse, I will oppose you, every step of the way, for the next four years. I will champion the millions of Americans you will fail to protect. I will track your every move, and I will remind Americans, every day, of the actions you take that fail them. And I will not be the only one watching. The millions of Americans who voted for you – and the millions who didn’t – will all be watching you.

Warren also joined fellow Bay State Sen. Ed Markey by blasting Trump’s appointment of Bannon, the Breitbart-turned-Trump campaign head. Bannon’s appointment was received with bipartisan criticism for his ties to the so-called alt-right.

“Everyone one of you know: Bigotry is bad for business,” Warren said, in an appeal to her audience, during the CEO Council event Tuesday.

“There are a lot of people in this room who led the charge to make workplaces open and accepting places,” she said. “If this White House goes in a different direction, that damages every one of us.”