UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No matter how you feel about Donald Trump’s politics, there’s no disputing the fact that he’s changed the Republican Party over the past five years.

How will that dynamic change after this year’s election?

Penn State alumnus and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent will join McCourtney Institute for Democracy Director Michael Berkman for a discussion on that topic at 4 p.m. Nov 19. The event will take place in Zoom and attendees must register in advance.

Dent is a lifelong Republican who spent 13 years representing the Lehigh Valley in Congress. He was chair of the House Ethics Committee and a member of the Homeland Security Appropriations committees. These days, he is a CNN political analyst and senior policy adviser at DLA Piper.

In 2017, he announced that he would not seek re-election in the 2018 midterm elections, and earlier this year, he publicly pledged his support for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden — joining fellow Republicans including Colin Powell and John Kasich.

Berkman said that, regardless of who wins the presidential election, the Republican Party will have some decisions to make about whether it will continue to embrace Trump or chart a different path. He looks forward to discussing that question with Dent on Nov. 19.

“Should he win, people like Charlie Dent who are not supporting Donald Trump will have some decisions to make going forward that will impact both parties,” Berkman said. “If he loses, it is unlikely that he or his children will leave politics or the media, continuing to impact the direction of the party.”

Dent received his bachelor’s degree in international politics from the College of the Liberal Arts in 1982 and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Lehigh University. Last year, he received the Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award, the University’s highest honor presented to alumni.

The conversation with Dent is free and open to the public. Visit democracy.psu.edu/fall-2020-events to register.