“I think the most important lesson to be drawn from the election is that the American people want us to work on the high cost of living and make sure that there can be a real path forward for working-class Americans, middle-class Americans, everyone who aspires to be part of the middle class to enjoy, you know, those promises, that basic contract between everyday Americans and the country,” Jeffries told ABC News’s The View.

Those people believe that if they “work hard and play by the rules,” they should be able to provide for their families, buy a home, go on a vacation, and retire with “grace and dignity,” Jeffries said.

“That’s the American dream, but for far too many people it’s out of reach,” Jeffries said. “That’s an American issue that we should all address together.”

Co-host Sunny Hostin did not appear convinced that the economy led Trump back to the White House and pushed Jeffries on how racism and misogyny affected the election.

“How did a convicted felon resonate more with Americans than a hyper-qualified woman of color?” she asked. “Do you think that racism and misogyny played any part in this election?”

Harris was certainly qualified and had his full support, Jeffries said, but he restated how people’s finances affected their decisions at the ballot box.

“I think we all are gonna unpack, as part of our after-action analysis, how did this happen, where did we fall short,” he said. “I do think that the emerging lesson, separate and apart from reasons maybe connected to race and misogyny, is that the economy was the dominant theme for a lot of folks.”

In many communities of color, there was movement away from Democrats and Harris and toward Trump, Jeffries said.

“It’s understandable that there’s great disappointment among a lot of people,” he said. “She represented hope for a new day in the United States of America.”