President Donald Trump said at a White House press conference Wednesday he hopes to work with congressional Democrats on issues ranging from infrastructure to drug pricing.
"Hopefully we can all work together next year to continue delivering for the American people, including on economic growth, infrastructure, trade, lowering the cost of prescription drugs," Trump said.
The president's comments came a day after the 2018 midterm elections, which saw the Democrats take back the House and Republicans holding their majority in the Senate.
"The Democrats will come to us with a plan for infrastructure, a plan for health care, a plan for whatever they're looking at and we'll negotiate," the president said.
"We have a lot of things in common on infrastructure," Trump added. "We want to do something on health care, they want to do something on health care, there are a lot of great things we could do together." The president also noted that there could be bipartisan support for more regulation of drug pricing.
"I expect [the Democrats] will come up with some fantastic ideas that I can support on the environment, on so many different things including prescription drug prices which we've put a big dent in already," the president said.
Infrastructure could be one of a few areas of partnership between Democrats and Republicans, with members of both parties calling for improvements to the country's aging bridges, roads and airports. Ever since Trump announced his bid for the White House, he has lambasted what he's categorized as "horrible infrastructure problems" throughout the United States.
Industrials and materials stock rallied earlier in the day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he could see teamwork between the parties.
"The one issue that Leader Pelosi and I discussed this morning, where there could be a possible bipartisan agreement, would be something on infrastructure," McConnell told reporters, referring to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who is in line to regain the House speakership.
Wall Street appeared to agree, with shares of major machinery manufacturers, equipment lenders and construction companies rallying sharply following the midterm results. Shares of , which produces gravel, crushed stone and sand, jumped 6.3 percent; climbed 1.8 percent; and industrials giant added 2.9 percent.
Stocks of major drugmakers Pfizer, Merck and Johnson & Johnson held their gains after Trump's comments.
"Since his earliest days as a candidate, Trump, a world traveler, cited the deplorable condition of the U.S. infrastructure compared to nations around the world," wrote Tom Block, Washington policy strategist at Fundstrat Global Advisors. "From airports to bridges, the U.S. has one of the world's oldest infrastructures, and public works programs like this have always been a central principle of Democratic policy."
The , which measures the performance of a slew of materials equities, rose 1.1 percent Wednesday. The also gained 1 percent.