Trump says being president was 'very traumatic' but he 'loved doing it' because he 'helped people'

• Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday that his time as president was "very traumatic" for him.
• "I loved doing it because I helped people," Trump said.
• Trump also said he was "very seriously" considering a run in 2024.

Former President Donald Trump would not describe his four years in the White House as smooth sailing.

Rather, Trump told the Fox News host Sean Hannity in a sit-down interview on Monday that his time as the most powerful person in the country was "very traumatic" for him.

"I had a great life, great company, great business, no problems," Trump said. "And now all I do is, people go after you. It's vicious, it's horrible."

Before winning the 2016 presidential election, Trump had never served in public office and was known as a billionaire celebrity real-estate mogul. Yet his presidency proved to be the most polarizing in modern American history. He scored an average approval rating of 41%, lower than any of his predecessors since the Gallup poll began in the 1940s. Amid his refusal to concede the 2020 presidential election, the January 6 Capitol insurrection, and his second impeachment trial, Trump's approval rating per Gallup dipped to its lowest at 34%.

In his final year in office, Trump oversaw the US's response to the coronavirus pandemic as the economy declined. Trump and his allies repeatedly downplayed the severity of the outbreak and often flouted public-health guidelines meant to prevent virus transmission. By the time he left office, roughly 400,000 Americans had died of COVID-19.

Still, Trump told Hannity he missed the job.

"I miss the most, helping people," Trump said. "That's why I did it."

"I loved doing it because I helped people," he continued. "And I've helped them more than any president."

The former president went on to tell Hannity that he was "very seriously" considering a 2024 presidential run, but he stopped short of an announcement.

"I say this: I am looking at it very seriously, beyond seriously," Trump said. "From a legal standpoint I don't want to talk about it yet."

Trump also said he was "very proud" of the accomplishments of his administration, including the 2017 tax cuts and the creation of the US Space Force, and he attacked President Joe Biden's agenda.

"We had the greatest numbers in the history of the world," Trump said.