President Barack Obama said he’s spoken out more on racial issues during his second term because of events and being more adjusted to office — not because he’s run his final political campaign.

“That I don’t buy,” Obama said in an interview with NPR when asked if addressing race was easier now that he will no longer be a candidate.

“If, in my first term, Ferguson had flared up, as president of the United States, I would have been commenting on what was happening in Ferguson.”

Ferguson, Mo., observed the first anniversary of the death of Michael Brown on Sunday. Brown was an unarmed black teenager who was shot to death by a white police officer. The city erupted into violent protests that later spread across the U.S.

Obama addressed the nation at the time of protests over Brown’s death last August, and again in December when riots resumed after prosecutors decided not to charge the officer. Since then, he has spoken often about racial issues.

The first black U.S. president, who caused a firestorm by using a racial epithet to make a point on race relations during a podcast interview in June, also said he’s freer to talk about the sensitive topic because he’s better adjusted to life in the Oval Office.

“After over 6½ years on this job, I probably have an easier time juggling a lot of different issues,” Obama said. “It may be that my passions show a little bit more, just because I’ve been around this track, now, for a while.”

The interview is scheduled to be available online Tuesday and will be broadcast on NPR’s “Morning Edition” in two parts, Tuesday and Wednesday.