WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) - Jimmy Carter once served as a frequent target for President Donald Trump, a convenient example of ineffective Democrats that he mocked to highlight his own strength and resolve.

Recently, however, Trump has expressed more reflective views toward the 39th president while confronting similar difficulties that Carter encountered.

These challenges include the ongoing conflict involving Iran with no resolution in view - and now intensifying as the U.S. seeks to secure the Strait of Hormuz - along with inflation that continues to burden the economy despite Trump's repeated claims that his business experience would resolve it.

The comparison appears to weigh on Trump as well. When questioned last month about why he refrained from sending U.S. Special Forces into Iran to seize enriched uranium, he replied, "I didn't feel like being Jimmy Carter."

This referenced the unsuccessful 1980 operation to rescue American hostages that resulted in eight U.S. service members losing their lives. Trump also noted in March that the failed effort "cost them the election" against Ronald Reagan in 1980, indicating an awareness of political consequences that was absent in his earlier criticisms of Carter.

This tonal shift aligns with Trump's growing attention to his personal legacy as the similarities between the two leaders grow more apparent.

"I think it is dawning on him - it is getting through even his thick skull - that he has stirred up serious trouble and his presidency could be recalled for some of the same issues that marked Jimmy Carter's time in office," said Johnathan Adler, author of "His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life."

When asked about Trump's evolving comments on Carter and their shared challenges, White House spokesperson Olivia Wales stated, "Trump will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon" and "remains laser-focused on implementing his proven economic agenda to lower costs."

"The president is a one-of-a-kind leader who will always unapologetically advance America's interests," Wales said in a statement. "The only legacy he is concerned with is making America greater than ever before."

Kori Schake, a former member of George W. Bush's National Security Council, indicated she does not believe Trump is reevaluating Carter. "He doesn't stitch facts together and create theories," she said.

Nevertheless, Trump's recent remarks differ markedly from his 2024 reelection campaign, during which he often labeled Joe Biden "the worst" president and suggested Carter appeared "brilliant" by comparison. Trump continues to reference Carter, who passed away two years ago at age 100, though typically to make inaccurate claims about Carter's views on mail-in ballots.

Other differences between the two men are numerous.

Carter remained married to his wife, Rosalynn, for 77 years, held deep religious convictions and vowed to "never knowingly lie to the American people." Trump has been divorced twice, embraces public profanity and issues a constant stream of misleading statements.

As president, Carter placed his family's peanut business into a blind trust. Control of the Trump Organization has passed to Trump's sons, yet the president earned nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto ventures last year while openly using his presidency for personal gain in various forms.

In 1977, Carter stated, "We are now free of that inordinate fear of communism." Trump has exploited primary victories by progressive Democrats to repeatedly fuel concerns about communism.

Carter also received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Trump has not, even though he has claimed greater merit than any prior recipient.

Although inflation affected both administrations, Carter faced far greater rates, reaching a peak of 14.7 percent in April 1980. Consumer prices increased 4.2 percent this May compared to the prior year - marking a three-year high - and while they dropped from May to June, the decline partly reflected lower gas prices tied to a U.S.-Iran ceasefire. That agreement has since collapsed, pushing oil prices higher once more.

Trump indicated he did not consider Americans' economic difficulties when addressing Iran, a conflict he initiated alongside Israel in February. More recently, he dismissed inflation worries. Yet achieving resolution has proven difficult, and U.S. strikes have increased again following Iran's assaults on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Like Trump, Carter also struggled with issues in the strait, stating during his 1980 State of the Union address that the situation "demands the participation of all those who rely on oil from the Middle East and who are concerned with global peace and stability."

Another parallel involved Carter considering military action to capture Kharg Island, though he ultimately rejected it to protect the hostages. Trump struck the island with U.S. forces early in the conflict to disrupt Iranian oil exports and has issued further threats.

Schake, a senior fellow and director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, highlighted a key distinction: "while the Carter administration gave serious consideration to attacking Kharg Island, the reason they didn't do it was they didn't want to be at war with Iran."

"And we're already at war with Iran," she said.

Adler noted that Iran sought to undermine Carter's reelection prospects and suggested they might attempt similar actions against Trump's Republican Party before the November midterm elections.

"These people are master diplomats, and they proved that during the Carter administration," Adler said. "They're proving that again. They're really good at rope-a-dope."

The president has recently referenced numerous predecessors, commending William McKinley's tariff policies and describing Teddy Roosevelt as a "great he-man." Trump cited a primary motivation for pursuing the now-fragile June ceasefire with Iran as avoiding the "economic catastrophe" that struck Herbert Hoover.

"I'm a student of a lot of history," Trump said this week.

During his first term, Trump often likened his populist style to Andrew Jackson's. He continues to praise Jackson but has more recently highlighted records of other past presidents, including Democrats such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Trump even included some of Carter's achievements on the "Walk of Fame" he created along the White House Colonnade, even as exhibits for other Democrats like Barack Obama and Biden featured pointed critiques.

"Trump is thinking of his legacy, and he might have thought that attacking Iran would have enhanced it. But, in fact, it will seriously hurt," James P. Pfiffner, a professor emeritus at George Mason University and author of several books including "The Character Factor: How We Judge Our Presidents," said via email.

After his presidency, Adler said, Carter requested a donation from Trump to support construction of Carter's presidential library. Trump later wrote that Carter sought $5 million, but he did not respond.

Then, during Trump's first term, Carter sent the president a letter and Trump called to express thanks, eventually leading Carter to believe he might serve as a special envoy to China - an appointment that never occurred.

"If he had learned anything from Carter's experience - and listened to predictions about the Strait of Hormuz - he would have hesitated," Pfiffner said of the war with Iran. "But he ignored lessons of history and geography."