(CNN) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo received an unusually critical reception in his home state of Kansas on Friday, fielding tough questions on climate science, immigration and human rights.

Pompeo, who returned to the Sunflower State amid heavy speculation around a potential Senate run, delivered a lecture at Kansas State University. When the event was opened for a question and answer session with audience members, Pompeo was immediately faced with queries about headlines out of his State Department and Trump administration policies.

The top US diplomat, pacing the stage and at times appearing exasperated during the Q&A, quipped that "my team told me if I took questions from the audience, I was a fool today."

"They may have been right about the fool part. I'll leave that to you all," Pompeo said. "Secretaries of state don't often do this, but from my perspective, I want to hear it. If you don't like what I'm doing, I want to know. I want to make sure we get it."

Pompeo's first question came from a member of the university's Physics Department, who referenced Rod Schoonover , a State Department analyst who resigned not long after he was reportedly blocked from giving testimony about the impact of climate change on national security.

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