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Congressional Democrats heard President Donald Trump dangle olive branches in their direction on Tuesday night but most departed his much-anticipated speech still deeply skeptical of Trumps interest in bipartisanship.

Trump threaded two ideas that retain Democratic appeal into his otherwise GOP-friendly remarks: an infrastructure plan that includes public investment and criticism of high prescription drug prices. He even earned some Democratic praise on the divisive topic of Obamacare for proposing that governors get the resources and flexibility they need to avoid cutting Medicaid coverage.

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Yet the Democratic goodwill Trump earned with those priorities paled next to the disappointment among the minority, whose votes he will need to push many of his key priorities through the Senate. Most Democrats left Trumps speech predicting that his newly softened tone would not translate into different strategy or policy. And many panned a controversial new immigration proposal from the president.

Yeah, this wasnt one of his crazier speeches, but at some point hes actually got to follow through and do the things hes talking about, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said in an interview.

Murphy added that I stood and applauded when I think he clearly, specifically, chose to pitch an infrastructure plan that involves public and private money, a potential break from Republican leaders leery of any new federal spending. But once again, were five weeks in and we dont even have a whiff of an infrastructure plan from the president.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), facing re-election next year in a state Trump carried by 19 percentage points, shrugged off Trumps rhetoric as unsupported by action.

There was a lot of talk in the speech, but we still havent seen a plan for any of it, McCaskill said in an interview. Not for any of it. If we knew it was so simple, all we could do is lower the price of health care and everyone gets it, we would have done that a long time ago.

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) was more pointed.

It was more conciliatory, but it wasnt very substantive, the Illinois Democrat said in an interview. Trumps tone appeared calmer, Durbin later added, but well wait for the early morning tweets. Lets see how they look.

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) graded Trump on a curve, saying that there were improvements in substance as well as tone given that Trump didnt lash out at the media or government employees behind recent leaks that have plagued his administration.

It was less concerning to our allies and less alarming to the average American than many of the speeches hes given in the last month, Coons offered.

Democratic members of congress wear aw U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress on February 28, 2017 in the House chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. | Getty

Other Democrats were kinder to Trumps invocations of infrastructure and prescription drugs. Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats, said that I shot out of my chair to applaud the talk of lowering drug prices, which Trump is expected to discuss at a meeting with a pair of Democrats next week.

Even Rep. Keith Ellison, the Democratic National Committees new deputy chair, allowed that "if he puts forth a meaningful infrastructure program, well look at it and well see."

"But that is an incredibly large leap," Ellison added. Given Trump's bitterly partisan and contentious first month in office, the Minnesota Democrat said, "he cant just say something to me and make me think, oh, awesome! No, no, no, no, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, and Im not tasting nothing so far."

Other House Democrats condemned Trump's proposal for a new Department of Homeland Security office aimed at spotlighting victims of crimes perpetrated by immigrants. The proposed program vilifies an entire sector of our country, the immigrant community," House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) said in an interview.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), a potential challenger to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) next year, said that Trump's "tone was softer, not as bombastic," praising the president's talk of an infrastructure deal and action on expanding paid family leave.

"But his words, in many ways, were still very divisive," Castro added, slamming the DHS immigrant-crime-victims program as a bid to "use the abhorrent behavior of a few to generalize towards all. And thats unfair and its dangerous."

Delaware Sen. Tom Carper echoed several fellow Democrats in jokingly proposing that Trump keep using whichever speechwriter crafted his palpably warmer remarks Tuesday night. Still, Carper said, "with this fellow, you just dont know" whether a change in words would lead to a change in behavior.

"Lets see what he does," Carper said. "Well start getting a glimpse of that when we get a budget."

Burgess Everett and Heather Caygle contributed to this report.

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Democrats: Trump wasn't crazy, but let's see if he keeps it up - Politico