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Jennifer Garner says she's willing to work with Donald Trump, urges Hollywood peers to engage

Liberal actress Jennifer Garner has said that she is willing to work with Donald Trump to make sure that he fulfills some of his campaign promises.

After traveling to her hometown in West Virginia last year, Garner saw that many of the people there were supporters of Trump. She saw it as an opportunity to hold the president accountable for the promises he made to the working class people.

Jennifer Garner autographs posters at a photo call for the movie 'Miracles from Heaven' in West Hollywood, California March 4, 2016. | Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

"I'm looking forward to helping him make good on what they saw as promises, a mandate from him, that he was going to make their lives better," she said in an interview with The Washington Post.

The actress saw the need to deal with Trump after talking to some people in economically depressed areas in West Virginia, where the president gained his largest margin of victory.

"People felt like Trump really understood them, that he was going to come in and create jobs for them. They felt like they needed something to just turn everything upside down," she remarked.

Garner said that she knows some of her friends "want to turn their back to this administration . . . [and] just wouldn't even want to engage," but she is taking a different approach.

"If he's willing to help the poor kids who got him elected, then let's do it. They certainly think he's going to," she added.

Garner, who campaigned for Hillary Clinton this past election, has been a board member of the non-profit organization Save the Children. It is known primarily for its international projects, but it also focuses on education programs in poor rural communities in the U.S.

The actress, who has starred in faith-based movies, such as "Miracles From Heaven," has been urging Congress and state governments to fund reading and literacy programs that include all-day kindergarten. Save the Children has its own reading programs that it administers in schools and during in-home visits.

On Friday, Garner met with several top staff members on Capitol Hill, and she attended the annual National Governors Association winter meeting on Saturday to deliver the keynote address.

A potential meeting with Ivanka Trump, who is advocating for more funding for child care, had been canceled due to scheduling conflicts, but Garner is still optimistic about meeting with the presidential daughter again soon.