Sanders ready to cooperate with Trump for 'working families'

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who battled unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination, said he is ready to cooperate with President-elect Donald Trump on behalf of "working families".

"To the degree that 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," Efe news agency cited a statement by Sanders.

"If he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him," the statement added.

According to the Vermont senator, 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," Sanders said in the message, which did not congratulate Trump on his victory.

Sanders ultimately endorsed Clinton, angering many of his followers with what they saw as a betrayal of the stands he took during the campaign.

The ire of disgruntled Sanders supporters was later fueled by a WikiLeaks release of documents showing that the supposedly neutral Democratic National Committee (DNC) was working to ensure that Clinton got the nomination.

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