MONTEREY >> Chris Christie and James Carville, who have both served as presidential advisors and aren’t known to shy away from controversial statements, will be on the panel of the Panetta Lecture Series finale, which will discuss “What Will Be the Governing Legacy of the Trump Era?” on June 9.

The panel will be led by former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and will also include Mary Matalin, a Republican political consultant and White House advisor to President George W. Bush. Matalin is also married to Carville.

President Donald Trump “relies on Executive Orders instead of passing laws,” Panetta said in a press release. “Republicans are struggling to stay united and loyal to the President when his policies threaten popular programs like Medicare and Medicaid and dramatically increase the size of the deficit. Democrats are struggling as a result of the election defeat … but are looking toward the midterms to reinvigorate a frustrated base even as they work to take action against Trump’s ‘flood the zone’ approach to politics. Is this any way to lead our country?”

Christie, a former New Jersey governor, ran against Trump in the 2024 Republican Primary and has been an outspoken critic of the president. He had served as an advisor to Trump during his first administration. Carville was the lead strategist on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, who is credited with having coined the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid.” The political pundit is frequently featured on television. Matalin’s career spans more than 40 years in senior Republican positions as chief of staff and campaign manager, among other roles. She served as deputy campaign manager on President George H. W. Bush’s 1992 re-election bid and was later assistant to President George W. Bush and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney.

Panetta plans to discuss what Trump’s governing style means to democracy.

“In my over 50 years of public service, I have seen Washington at its best and its worst. I have seen Washington when Republicans and Democrats were working together on bipartisan legislation,” Panetta said. “I have also seen it deeply partisan and dysfunctional. The result is a failure to govern.” The 28th annual season’s overarching theme has been “What Will Be the Legacy of the Trump Era?” The event, the fourth and final of the season’s series, will be held at the Monterey Conference Center at 7 p.m. on June 9.

Individual tickets to the lecture sell for $100. To order, call the Panetta Institute at (831) 582-4200 to pay with a credit card. For additional information on tickets, subscriptions or broadcast details, please call the Panetta Institute or visit www.panettainstitute.org.