John Boehner told CNBC on Tuesday he can't predict what type of president Donald Trump will be but believes that Trump realizes he needs to evolve from his campaign trail bluster.
"Donald Trump clearly understands at this point that he's the president-elect. And he has a very different role to play," the Republican former House speaker said on "Fast Money: Halftime Report." "He's still going to be Donald Trump, but I would expect that we're going to see a somewhat different Donald Trump."
Concerns about temperament and divisive rhetoric tracked Trump during his presidential campaign. While the president-elect has aimed to quell some of those fears, he has also attacked media outlets and protesters on Twitter since his election, validating those concerns for some.
While Boehner said that 2016 brought "things we've never heard said in a presidential campaign," he added that he does not have serious concerns about Trump or Stephen Bannon, the president-elect's newly appointed chief advisor. Bannon is the former chairman of Breitbart News, a right-wing news site popular with white nationalists. His appointment prompted strong criticism from Democrats.
Boehner, the former congressman from Ohio, said that although Trump's presidency carries uncertainties, he knows Trump is "not an ideologue" and "barely a Republican." In that regard, members of the Republican-controlled Congress may have more leverage in policy discussions.
"Members of the House and Senate are going to play a much bigger role in terms of creating policy," Boehner said.
Boehner said he expects to see an emphasis on infrastructure spending and immigration reform. But he added that "tax reform in a broader sense will do more for our economy" than infrastructure spending.
He said he expects a repatriation of business capital parked overseas to help to fund infrastructure.
Trump will have a good shot to get some of his policies through with the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress. Boehner never enjoyed full Republican control when he served as speaker form 2011 to 2015, during President Barack Obama's time in office.