Miami University’s JANUS Forum hosted a discussion between Karine Jean-Pierre, former press secretary to the Biden administration, and Marc Short, former chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, on April 8.
The pair discussed President Donald Trump’s second 100 days in office. Moderator and senior at Miami Grace Gaston asked a series of questions surrounding tariffs and student deportations, among other things. Gaston said the JANUS Forum encourages intellectual discourse of differing points of view. Along with the organization, audience members were able to submit questions.
Short joined the Trump campaign in 2016. He served as a legislative affairs director for the Trump administration from 2017 to 2018, and he served as chief of staff to Pence from 2019 to 2021. Currently, he frequently contributes to Meet the Press, a NBC news program.
In 2008, Pierre worked on the Obama campaign and administration, where she met Biden when he was a vice-presidential nominee. Pierre served as the deputy campaign manager for “Martin O’Malley for President” in 2016. She served as Biden’s press secretary during his term from 2022 to 2025.
Gaston asked Short about the recent Trump tariffs. Short said trade deficits are not always a bad thing and occur because the United States is the richest country in the world.
“The rationale of saying that we are going to set a trade policy to eliminate trade deficits, I think, is incredibly sophomore and not very well-educated,” Short said.
Short added that tariffs against other nations can cause national security problems. He said a country is less likely to go to war with a nation it is trading with.
Pierre said there is not adequate reasoning behind the tariffs. She said the Trump administration ran on lowering costs, but inflation is going up.
Gaston then asked the panelists about recent student deportations and visa removals.
Short said that student visas should be seen as a gift and privilege. He said that some of the students in question have been allied with Hamas and have been inciting violence on campus.
Short also said another reason Trump won was because of the way the Biden administration handled immigration. He said the Supreme Court has guaranteed due process in recent proceedings.
“If [those on student visas] are going to come here, it's not about a free speech issue,” Short said. “[If] they're going to come here, threaten other students and incite violence on campus, they have no right to be here, and the government can tell them to go.”
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Pierre, on the other hand, doesn’t believe these individuals have had due process. She said the Biden administration had a comprehensive plan and that Trump “got in the way” of that. She said immigrants are scared and come to the U.S. for the promise of the American dream. She also mentioned her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. themselves.
“We are a country that is filled with immigrants,” Pierre said. “It is a privilege. It is special to be in this country. My parents came to this country because they wanted these things, because they wanted something better for their family.”
Ellie Brewer, a first-year strategic communication and political science major, said she attended the event because she is unsure where she falls on the political spectrum and wanted to hear both sides.
“[The forum] made me want to study more about the issues and draw more conclusions for myself,” Brewer said.
Cassidy Gordon, a first-year political science and journalism double major, said she attended the event because she has felt politically charged since the 2024 election.
“[The forum] was very civil, and that was nice,” Gordon said. “I feel like you don’t really see that anymore.”
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