“I’m going to be having lunch with some of the Democrats next week, and it would be wonderful if we could work together,” Trump told a crowd of about 700, made up of high-profile finance leaders and influential investors in Miami at the Future Investment Initiative Institute conference.
He expressed guarded optimism while also cautioning that some of his political opponents’ ideologies are in need of adjustment.
“I think working together would be great. But they have to change,” Trump said. “And I think they'll change. ... You can’t get elected on the programs that they want.”
The president pointed to his decisive margin of victory in the election—winning the popular vote and all six swing states, and securing shifts to the right in many states and counties across the country—as evidence that the Republicans’ messaging is resonating with the American people.
“We’re the party of common sense, and they’re the party of some real bad things,” Trump said.
It remains unclear which lawmakers the president plans to meet with, though some have already expressed a willingness to work with him.
Other Democrats, including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, have expressed a reluctance to work with Trump but would consider a meeting under certain conditions.
During a wide-ranging speech and Q&A session that spanned nearly an hour and a half, the president addressed the audience at the investment gathering with a talk meant to drum up business and create opportunities.
Founded by the Saudi royal family, the institute aims to bring together “the brightest minds and most promising solutions to serve humanity.”
The three-day conference included discussions on education, health care, sustainability, and artificial intelligence and robotics, among other topics.
During his first term, Trump visited the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh in 2017—his first foreign trip as executive in chief.
