Bernie Sanders issues statement on Trump

United States Senator Bernie Sanders released a statement on his website about President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday following Trump's presidential election victory.  Sanders acknowledged the anger that Trump was able to capitalize on and focused on finding common ground with the new President-elect, with a caveat:

"Donald Trump tapped into the anger of a declining middle class that is sick and tired of establishment economics, establishment politics and the establishment media.  People are tired of working longer hours for lower wages, of seeing decent paying jobs go to China and other low-wage countries, of billionaires not paying any federal income taxes and of not being able to afford a college education for their kids - all while the very rich become much richer.

To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him. To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him.”

Sanders has not been shy about his criticism of Donald Trump in the past, just last month warning voters at a Clinton campaign stop in Michigan that Trump is "dangerous and un-American."

A top advisor to the Sanders campaign told CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny on Tuesday night that their camp had "nothing polite to say right now," before issuing an official statement the following afternoon.