President Donald Trump is congratulating Democrat Nancy Pelosi hours after she was sworn in as House speaker.
Trump tells reporters during a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room that Pelosi’s election to lead the House is “a tremendous, tremendous achievement.”
The president says he’s hopeful “we’re going to work together” on issues such as infrastructure and more.
He says: “I think it’s actually going to work out. I think it’ll be a little bit different than a lot of people are thinking.”
Reporters had been told that White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was going to be delivering a briefing on the 13th day of the partial government shutdown.
Instead, Trump appeared and spoke for the first time from the White House briefing room podium.
