Is ‘Rahmbo’ settling down?

Rahm Emanuel is pulling back a bit — or is at least trying to.

The White House Chief of Staff explained Wednesday during an interview on NPR that he is learning when to pull back on his legendarily aggressive demeanor as he settles into his role in the Obama administration.

“You’ve got to know when to press down on the accelerator when people basically don’t want to move or don’t want to make a decision,” Emanuel said. “You gotta know when to pull back and let that process kind of develop.”

Obama political strategist David Axelrod said that Emanuel’s settled down since his days during the Clinton White House, when “Rahmbo” had been known for crafting enemy lists and settling scores.

“He’s not as athletic as he was as a young man; he doesn’t jump on desks; he counts to 10 more,” Axelrod said. “He’s matured as people do over time, but he still gets excited from time to time and it’s fun to watch.”

“I tell all the folks, I said, I’m a hard-charger, and if you want, just pull me by the collar when you think I’m going too fast,” Emanuel added.

Listen to the audio of the interview here.