Rep.-elect says Democratic majority is an ‘opportunity’ for Trump

Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda (D-N.C.) said Sunday that the Democrats’ upcoming majority in Congress provides a chance for President Trump to work with the party to improve Americans’ lives.

“But make no mistake about it, if we don’t get to Washington, D.C., and we don’t start pushing legislation that elevates people’s lives, we’re going to lose that in two years,” Ojeda told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday.” “So, if we want to stay, we got to do the right things for the people.”

“But you can’t do too many things because Donald Trump’s going to veto. If you do those things, he’s going to veto those things,” Stirewalt replied.

“This is an opportunity. This is an opportunity for Donald Trump. And I would say — if I was talking to him, I would say, ‘This is an opportunity for you. Instead of basically going out as a lame duck and doing nothing and making this just absolutely petty, how about support the legislation that elevates people’s lives?” Ojeda said.

Ojeda beat Rep. Richard Hudson (R), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), in the race for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District last week.

In his NRCC role, Hudson had to help protect at-risk House Republicans throughout the U.S. He also had to set aside some resources for his own campaign, per Cook Political Report. However, Ojeda won, and his victory was the first for a Democrat in the district since 1963.

The Congressional map was painted blue in this year’s midterm elections, with Democrats locking down the House and Senate and flipping historically red areas.

On Tuesday, Trump congratulated Democrats for their election wins. In a call with CBS News, the president said that his message was “congratulations to the Democrats, and I look forward to working with you for the good of our country.”