Tom Malinowski began a virtual “Congress in your Kitchen” session Monday afternoon with a classic understatement:

“This was, of course, a very close election,” he said.

Malinowski emerged victorious in CD-7 by about 5,000 votes over Republican Tom Kean Jr., but it wasn’t easy. Malinowski’s 28,000 vote lead on Election Night dwindled to a shade more than 4,000 as more votes were counted. But then the bleeding stopped and Malinowski picked up a few more votes, prompting Kean to concede on Nov. 19.

The congressman said he takes from the election the notion that voters want their representatives to stand up for American principles and to “reach across the aisle.”  He said he hoped that may be more possible with a Democratic president.

Looking ahead to his second term, Malinowski said his first goal is a pandemic relief and stimulus bill. He faulted the leadership of his own Democratic party for not reaching a compromise with the president on such a bill before the election.

Now, he said there’s no hope of a compromise, noting that President Trump “seems to have no interest in anything but whining” about losing the election.

Malinowski was also asked about two leftover issues from the current Congress – infrastructure improvements and the SALT deduction cap.

He was more optimistic about infrastructure and the Gateway tunnel in particular, saying he has spoken to Joe Biden and that, “He supports a Gateway project.” He said Biden can help move along infrastructure projects through administrative actions.

The SALT cap limits the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes to $10,000. Prior to the 2017 tax reform bill, there was no cap.

The cap hurts high-property tax states like New Jersey, which is why getting it removed has so far been impossible. The House passed a bill eliminating the cap in late 2019, but it went nowhere in the Senate.

With that in mind, Malinowski said hopes of getting rid of the cap depend on the Jan. 5 runoff in Georgia. Two Senate seats will be decided and if Democrats win both, they will control the Senate.

Malinowski was asked “what should happen” to Trump after the election. It was a leading question and the person asking it probably wanted the congressman to say “throw him in jail.”

Malinowski didn’t take the bait. He merely pointed out that come Jan. 20, Trump will be a private citizen who can live where he wants – maybe at Mar-a-Lago, or perhaps at his Bedminster golf course, which happens to be in CD-7.

That would be cozy.