CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. — The Chautauqua Institution's lecture series aims to present a variety of different points of view to its guests.

However, it traditionally appeals to a more left-leaning perspective than that of Tuesday's speaker Mike Huckabee.

"If I go somewhere and everybody agrees with me, I don't learn much from that," said Huckabee.

The Republican former Arkansas governor said he enjoyed engaging with the audience and sharing his philosophy on how things like culture, education and health care connect with the series topic of building infrastructure.

"I wanted to convey that so that people think more broadly about infrastructure than ‘it's just about roads,’ because that sounds boring to a lot of people," Huckabee said.

The two-time former GOP presidential primary candidate afterwards sat down with us to discuss national politics. He's an early endorser of Donald Trump in 2024.

"I love the things that he got done in his time and he did it against the extraordinary headwinds of all the institutions of Washington being against him," Huckabee said.

His daughter Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the current governor of Arkansas and former Trump press secretary, has not yet made her own presidential endorsement. He said the she and Trump have a very close relationship, though.

"When I read some of these stories that there's all this tension, I'm thinking, you know, I've talked to him and I've talked to her, I don't get that there's that tension,” Huckabee said. “I think that she's trying to stay focused on her job as governor. The only candidate that she's spoken of with that level of fondness and support has been Trump.”

As a veteran of presidential debates, Huckabee said he also understands the former president's hesitance to commit to the first Republican debate scheduled for Aug. 23.

"I can understand Trump says, ‘why go and just become the piñata of the party? Let these other guys fight it out to determine who I'm really going to face,’ ” said Huckabee.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy indicated this week Congress may be considering an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Huckabee said if the merit of accusations is verified that Biden pedaled his influence for profit while vice president, it's a necessary step.

"We know what people have put forth,” Huckabee said. “We know what the FBI form says that (Iowa Republican Senator) Chuck Grassley released. It is not complimentary but it's not yet what I would call verified by independent sources."

On his daughter's future plans, which include speculation she could consider her own White House run in four years, Huckabee says right now he thinks she is enjoying her work as the governor of Arkansas and wouldn't be surprised if she serves two terms. He said 2028 is a long-way off, especially when it comes to politics.