Following President Donald Trump’s second State of the Union address, Rep. Tom Reed praised the fellow Republican’s message that he said reinforced the idea that the United States is a strong union.

“I really heard his call,” the Corning Republican said. “If we don’t find that common ground, … then we’re going to fail in our endeavor.”

As the larger context of a possible second partial federal government shutdown for the year looms over partisan debates of border security, Reed reiterated his call for bipartisan compromise that he thinks would use $5.7 billion to fund segments of a steel barrier and other border security methods as Trump spoke of Tuesday night.

“The core of the nation is strong,” Reed said. “These are huge opportunities.”

In addition to being optimistic about reaching a consensus on how to handle the U.S.-Mexico border, Reed also complimented Trump for bringing up the nation’s recent economic and foreign affairs successes.

Trump made the claim that the United States would be at war with North Korea if he was not president. When asked how he responded to that claim, Reed said that not just one person could make such a difference but did agree that his negotionary tactics has helped build a relationship and averted conflict with North Korea.

Reed called out some Democrats for not applauding Trump for saying the United States will never become a socialist country. Trump’s comment seemed to be directed toward a recent push for democratic socialism on the left by proponents such as Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., and when asked if Reed had considered the difference between socialism and democratic socialism as the reason why not all Democrats applauded the president, Reed said that democratic socialism is still rooted in typical socialist ideals.

He said that the government shouldn’t dictate people as the ultimate tool for power, but principles of democratic socialism include a greater emphasis on individuals controlling the economy instead of the upper class in a capitalist society. Democratic socialism seeks to reform capitalism instead of replace it.