Trump on his big win: Democrats 'not in line' with country's thinking

President-elect Trump on Thursday linked his Election Day win to the idea that Democrats are “not in line” with the country’s thinking.

"I started to see realignment could happen because the Democrats are not in line with the thinking of the country," Trump told NBC News in a phone interview.

"You can’t have defund the police, these kind of things," he said, referencing the slogan Democrats have tried to shake off in recent years. "They don’t want to give up and they don’t work, and the people understand that."

After a highly competitive race, Trump swept the seven swing states, made inroads in key blue areas and expanded upon his 2020 showing in some red states. He is also set to win the popular vote over Vice President Harris, while the GOP took control of the Senate. The House had yet to be called as of Thursday afternoon, but Decision Desk HQ forecasts show Republicans with a strong chance of scoring a trifecta of control over the White House and Congress.

Trump’s win was boosted by gains with Latino voters, young voters and women, according to exit polling — and Democrats have already begun to point fingers and search for answers about how that happened.

Trump told NBC News that he gave partial credit for his win to his immigration messaging.

"They want to have borders, and they like people coming in, but they have to come in with love for the country. They have to come in legally,” he said.

Trump has promised big plans for Day 1, with a major focus on cracking down on immigration.

But the former president also argued Democrats’ messaging broadly had missed the mark and said he considers his win a mandate "to bring common sense" to the country.

Some Democrats had voiced concerns ahead of the election that Harris's economic message was falling flat with voters, and the party's broader efforts to tie Trump and Republicans to abortion bans also seemed to have trouble sticking on Tuesday.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) on Wednesday issued his own accusation against Democrats after the election, arguing the party had abandoned the working class.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison on Thursday called that take “straight up BS.”