YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - He's probably best known in Hollywood as the high school economics teacher who deadpanned the voice, "Bueller, Bueller." But Ben Stein is so much more than that. He's a lawyer, writer, and commentator on political and economic issues. 

Thursday night, Stein was at Youngstown State University for the school's lecture series. 

A packed house was there to hear the man whose political prowess includes being a speechwriter and lawyer for President Nixon. 

"Nixon was probably the most experienced president we ever had," said Stein. "No one had more experience in the executive branch than Richard Nixon and I think it showed and his ideas were by in large quite sensible and intelligent whereas Trumps are often kind of half-baked so there is no comparison in terms of knowing how to run the executive branch of government."

Speaking of President Trump, Stein says considering the fact his administration is under constant attack by the media, is doing fairly well.

"I don't understand the whole business about the tariffs. I think he should have left well enough alone about that, just let that go on as it was, that would have been fine with me. I don't think the tax bill is a particularly good bill. I think he's done very very well on Israel, been very good to Israel. In terms of his economic policy, I don't think he's done anything particularly great and I don't exactly understand why the economy is booming as much as it is except for the fact that it is a deficit fed boom and is fed by the enormous deficit," said Stein.

Stein later entered the entertainment field and became an actor, comedian, and Emmy award-winning game show host. 

"Norman Lear said I want you working for me in Hollywood and I'll pay you $600 a week., which at the time, this is 1975, I felt like I was a millionaire, I felt so rich. I thought well I can either stay in New York and travel on the subway, the non-air-conditioned subway or I can go to live and travel in a Mercedes; I think I'll take Hollywood," he said.

He calls his big break with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", one of the luckiest things in the world.

"One of them finally said you would be funnier in front of the camera instead of behind the camera so let me put you in a movie and we'll have you ad-lib a couple of scenes and that was "Ferris Bueller" and after that my career took off and it's never stopped," said Stein.

Stein currently writes a column for the New York Times Sunday Business Section and is a commentator for CBS Sunday Morning and Fox News.