President Donald Trump placed the call to congratulate New Jersey Gov.-elect Phil Murphy, ahead of his inauguration on Tuesday. | Olivier Douliery/Pool/Getty Images Trump calls Murphy, talks 'commitment' to infrastructure

President Donald Trump called New Jersey Gov.-elect Phil Murphy on Sunday, two days before he is set to take office as the state's 56th governor, according to statement from the White House and Murphy’s transition team.

The two discussed infrastructure on the call, which Trump placed to congratulate Murphy ahead of his inauguration on Tuesday.


“The Governor-elect expressed appreciation for the call and discussed with the President his commitment to working together on the critical issue of investing in New Jersey’s infrastructure,” Murphy spokesman Dan Bryan said in a statement.

The call comes after federal transportation officials disavowed an Obama-era funding agreement for the Gateway rail tunnel to Manhattan and as Trump prepares to push a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal.

Murphy, a Democrat, has made transportation one of his top issues and has also been sharply critical of the president and his agenda. The recent federal tax bill, which Trump signed late last year, particularly angered Murphy and he has vowed to work with other high-tax states to fight the new law.

But regarding the tunnel project, Murphy has expressed confidence that New York and New Jersey officials will be able to persuade the federal government to cover a large share of the project, despite a “sobering” letter from a top transportation officials.

"I personally believe that that's one letter at one moment in time. I believe that cooler heads will prevail at the end of the day," Murphy said on Jan. 3.

Murphy will replace Republican Chris Christie, a two-term governor who is a long-time friend of Trump and continues to provide informal advice to the chief executive.