politics

Elizabeth Warren on Trump’s Election: ‘We Stand Up and We Fight Back’

Help us, Elizabeth Warren — you’re our only hope.

Elizabeth Warren, who’s been one of Donald Trump’s most vocal opponents throughout his campaign, pretty much summed up the election on The Rachel Maddow Show Thursday night when she said, “Well, it happened.” The senator appeared with Maddow to discuss Trump’s presidency, and she vowed to fight the president-elect on issues she sees as nonnegotiable.

“There are things we’re going to end up losing, because we don’t have the White House, we don’t have the Senate, we don’t have the House of Representatives,” she said. “But on those core issues about treating every single human being in this country with dignity, on that we stand up and we fight back. We do not back down. We do not compromise, not today, not tomorrow, not ever.”

Then she gave viewers two tangible ways to do so:

We start with two things that we can do. One is we can volunteer, and the other is we can stay connected to each other. Volunteer with Planned Parenthood, or with any other organization that really matters to you. Volunteering is a way to say, ‘We’re making these groups stronger. This is one way our voice will be heard.’

And the second part is we’ve got to stay connected to each other. We have to talk about issues and fights that are coming up because we have to be ready to mobilize on certain issues when the time comes.

Warren emphasized that she and other Democratic lawmakers will choose their battles with President-elect Trump and his cabinet. When it comes to healing the economy and making politics more inclusive, for example, she said, “I’m ready [to help]. I’m ready to put everything aside.” But when it comes to issues of equality, she said she’ll fight against the bigotry of Trump’s coalition.

“You start every fight by being clear so the people on the other side understand: These are the places I’ll help you, these are the places I’ll do everything I can to block you,” Warren said. “We are not turning this country over to what Donald Trump has sold. We’re just not.”

Elizabeth Warren: ‘We Stand Up and We Fight Back’