President Donald Trump Wednesday insisted he was not being sarcastic or kidding when he said on Twitter that he'd back House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker now that the Democrats will have the majority in the House, and he's looking forward to working with her.
"I think she deserves it," Trump told reporters during an East Room press conference. "She's been fighting long for it. There was nothing sarcastic about it. It was meant with very good intentions. I think she deserves it. She's fought long and hard, she's a very capable person and you have other people trying to take over the speakership and I said, it's appropriate."
Trump added that if Pelosi is challenged for the seat and he can help her win, he would "easily supply her the necessary votes."
"I think she deserves that position," Trump said. "I also believe Nancy Pelosi and I can work together and get a lot of things done, along with Mitch (McConnell) and everybody else we have to work with."
Pelosi, during a press conference after Trump's event, said she worked "very productively" with President George W. Bush when she was last speaker, and this time around, "we want to go for the boldest common denominator" and come to a consensus on ideas.
"I heard the president say I deserve to be the speaker," she said. "I don't think anybody deserves anything, it's not about what you have done, it's what you can do, what you have done in the past speaks to your credentials."
There has been a contentious relationship between the White House and the Democratic Party, but Trump said he thinks there is a good chance for bipartisanship, but if there is a flurry of subpoenas against his administration, the government could "come to a halt" and he'd blame Democrats.
"I expect that they 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 have made a big dent in already," said Trump.