Bernie Sanders: I see areas where I can work with Trump

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders extended an olive branch Thursday to President-elect Donald Trump, offering to work with the incoming Republican administration on infrastructure and trade policy.

“I don’t think it makes sense to say, ‘No, we’re not gonna work in any way in any form with the Trump administration,’” Sanders told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “Trump has talked appropriately about a collapsing infrastructure: our roads, bridges and water systems. If he is prepared to work with us on rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure and creating millions of jobs and doing it in a way that doesn’t privatize our infrastructure or give tax breaks to billionaires, yes, let’s work together.”


In a break with his party, Trump has proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure spending plan, a proposal Democrats have expressed a willingness to work with him on. And, despite Sanders' progressive positions on the left and Trump's hard-line views on the right, both espoused similar views on trade.

Sanders credited the president-elect for talking about what he referred to as America’s “failed trade policy” on the campaign trail, particularly NAFTA and trade relations with China.

“If he is prepared to work with us on a trade policy which works for the American worker and not just the CEO of large multinational corporations, let’s work together on those areas,” Sanders said.

He added, however, that there will be no compromise on bigotry and blamed Trump for running a divisive campaign.

“There can be no compromise there,” Sanders said of bigotry. “There can be no compromise, in my view, on protecting American democracy, working against voter suppression that many Republican governors are trying to bring about, and in my view there can’t be any compromise on climate change.”

The Vermont senator slammed Trump’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a climate change skeptic who is expected to roll back much of President Barack Obama’s legacy.

Given that Trump is a Republican, Sanders noted that he never expected him to nominate progressives to lead major agencies but contended that Pruitt is a “right-wing extremist.”

“I think, especially as a member of the environmental committee, I’m gonna do everything I can to oppose Pruitt's nomination,” he said.