Trump says he’s become more ‘guarded’ after four years in office

President Trump told The New York Times this week that he believes he has become “more guarded” in his four years in office.

“I think I’ve just become more guarded than I was four years ago,” the president said in a Wednesday interview that was published Thursday. “I think I really am a little bit more circumspect.”

Asked about any plans for a different approach to the presidency if reelected, Trump responded, “I think I’d be similar.”

In the Times interview, Trump suggested a second-term agenda would consist of building on first-term items like increased military spending, tax cuts, fewer regulations and more judicial appointments.

“We would continue what we’re doing. We’d solidify what we’ve done and we have other things on our plate that we want to get done,” he told the newspaper.

Trump’s plans for a potential second term have remained vague, making it difficult for fellow Republicans to tout his plans on the campaign trail or draw a sharp contrast with Democrats.

In Wednesday’s interview, Trump continued to give his first four years positive marks. He said the the White House has “done a very good job” on the coronavirus pandemic, even as more than 180,000 people in the U.S. have died from the disease.

Trump also said the stock market’s performance was “pretty amazing.”

The president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a top White House adviser, told the Times that Trump’s presidency has been defined by not being “absorb[ed]” by Washington, D.C.

“Instead of trying to change to get along with people,” Kushner added, “he’s doubled and tripled down on the promises that he’s made and I think he has more conviction. There’s not a single policy where you have a question about where he stands.”