Trudeau says he considered stepping down during marriage difficulties

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a recent podcast that he considered walking away from the job last year as his marriage began to fracture.

Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, announced last August that they had agreed to separate.

During an episode of the ReThinking podcast that was released Tuesday, psychologist and host Adam Grant asked Trudeau how often he thinks about quitting.

"These days not at all," Trudeau said, before conceding that the thought crossed his mind last year.

"There was a moment last year as I was facing some difficulties in my marriage where I really wondered, 'OK, is there a path [to step aside]?

"I just realized, that's not me. There is so much to do still."

In an interview with Radio-Canada in March, Trudeau playfully said he thinks every day about quitting his "crazy," "super tough" and at times "challenging" job.

Trudeau told Grant that those comments were meant to suggest that he checks to ensure he's "all in" on the job.

"If you're going to be honest about doing a job like this, that has the responsibilities and impact it has, you have to check that — maybe not every day — but you have to check that you're up for it, that you're all in," he said.

"Even though I've been in it for a few years, even though it's harder now than it was before, even though my opponent is getting traction … if they are enough to make you say, 'No,' then you shouldn't be doing it."

The governing Liberals have been trailing the opposition Conservatives in the polls and Trudeau's personal approval rating has been sliding. An Angus Reid poll from April found that only 28 per cent of Canadians approve of Trudeau, while 66 per cent disapprove of him as prime minister.

Trudeau acknowledged his current unpopularity when Grant asked him how he deals with criticism from Canadians.

"I try to go to a place of empathy," Trudeau said.

"No matter how much they dislike me, I still have to try and think about what I can do to make sure that [Canadians], or their kids or their community, is doing better."