Retired Gen. David Petraeus said Monday that he doesn't "envision" returning to a government position, and said his views don't align with President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE's on foreign affairs.

“I think there does have to be policy alignment [with Trump,] and I’m not sure that exists, I’m afraid," Petraeus said on BBC Radio 4 when asked if he'd be willing to replace James Mattis James Norman MattisBiden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies Trump says he wanted to take out Syria's Assad but Mattis opposed it Gary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November MORE as Defense Secretary, as first reported by Time magazine.

Mattis resigned in December in a letter that said Trump deserved to have a Defense secretary with views that aligned with his own. The decision came as Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and a reduction in the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

ADVERTISEMENT

Petraeus, who previously served as former President Obama's CIA Director, added that he “cannot envision returning to government at this time."

Petraeus's comments served as a contrast from ones he made in 2017 about working for the Trump administration. He told Politico in December of that year that he'd be willing to work in the administration under "certain conditions."

Petraeus served as CIA director between 2011 and 2012. He resigned from the position after it was revealed he had a sexual relationship with his biographer and misled the FBI about the nature of their relationship.

Petraeus voiced concern over Trump's move to pull troops from Syria.

“It’s not unreasonable to ask after 17 years of war, ‘is this the best way to go about it,’ ” Petraeus said. “It doesn’t mean that I agree, necessarily, with the recent decisions, but to be truthful we don’t know the details of the policy yet.”