Former socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has vowed to be an ally of President-elect Donald Trump so long as he has the "guts" to stand up to corporate America. 

Speaking at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast in Washington, D.C., Sanders agreed with some of Trump's talking points on trade and said he'd work with him on implementing those policies if he kept his word.  

"[T]hey think they can save some money in Indiana by moving to Mexico and hiring people there for $3 a hour," Sanders said. "I will do everything I can to stop those types of transactions. And in that area, I look forward to working with Mr. Trump to tell corporate America you know what? You cannot keep running all over the world whether it is China or Vietnam or God knows where searching for the cheapest possible labor where you destroy the middle class or the working class of this country. So I do look forward to coming up with ideas to tell corporate America this and the tariff may well be one of them – may well be one of those options."

Sanders then pointed out how corporation have been stashing large profits overseas – he misses the point how high taxation creates that climate – and said that if Trump stands up to corporate America, he'll give him the needed support.  

"But I think corporate America, which is doing phenomenally well by and large, large corporations are making huge profits," he continued. "They’re stashing their profits in the Cayman Islands. In a given year the corporations like General Electric and others will not pay a nickel in the federal corporate tax. That it is absurd. And if Mr. Trump has the guts to stand up to those corporations, demand that they start paying their fair share of taxes, demanded that they create jobs and protect jobs in America and protect jobs in America, he will have an ally with me."