Gov. Josh Shapiro said in an interview that aired Sunday that he had warned former President Joe Biden last year about his dwindling chances of being reelected, based on what he was seeing in his crucial swing state.
“I made a point to speak to the people around the president repeatedly about what I saw were worrying signs here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro told Kristen Welker on NBC News’ Meet the Press.
“And when I felt that they were not sharing that information directly with the president, I went directly to the president — to the former president — and shared that with him when we met at a coffee shop in Harrisburg,“ Shapiro said, adding he “was very direct and very blunt about what I saw were worrying signs electorally about his prospects to be able to win again.”
Publicly, Shapiro was a strong supporter of Biden at the time, defending the president after his disastrous debate performance prompted calls for him to drop out of the race.
Shapiro deflected Welker’s question about his own future reelection plans, repeating his frequent answer that he is focused on being governor, and adding that he hasn’t even announced whether he will run for reelection.
The conversation with Biden that he described on Meet the Press had been previously reported on by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson in their book Original Sin.
In the book 107 Days, scheduled to be released on Tuesday, Harris reportedly writes that Shapiro seemed more interested in the role of vice president than in helping her win against President Donald Trump. While Shapiro declined to discuss Harris’ comments with Welker, he told sports commentator Stephen A. Smith on Sirius XM that Harris is going to “have to answer how she was in the room and yet never said anything publicly.”
In the portion of the interview not focused on the 2024 election, Shapiro criticized Trump’s recent threats to shut down TV networks that he claims are too critical of him. And, Shapiro said, Trump is hurting Pennsylvania.
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“I hear it from farmers, I hear it from folks here in suburban Philadelphia, I hear it from folks in our cities: He’s making things cost more, he’s making us less safe, he’s restricting our fundamental freedoms,” Shapiro said.
He added that he would announce his reelection plans soon.
The interview began with Shapiro saying that Pennsylvania is mourning the killing last week of three York County police officers.
“We’ve got to address these underlying issues that cause someone to pick up a gun in the first place and use it on others, particularly people who wear a uniform to keep us safe,” he said.
Shapiro said he continues to work through the emotional aftermath of the April fire at the governor’s mansion. Cody Balmer was charged in April with attempting to kill Shapiro by setting fire to the governor’s mansion. Balmer allegedly told police he hated Shapiro and would have beaten him.
“I can tell you that I’ve battled that since the attack in April. My emotional scars have less to do with being governor and a whole lot more with being a father, and a father to four children whose lives were at risk because of the profession I chose, to serve other people,” Shapiro said.
On the topic of the recent assassination of political commentator and activist Charlie Kirk, Shapiro said political disagreement should be addressed through talking, not through violence or through shutting down opponents.
“So I appreciate the fact that he showed up in town squares and college campuses and sought to debate others, whether I agreed with it or not,” Shapiro said. “The answer to debate and speech that you don’t like is not violence or taking someone’s life. It’s more speech, it’s more debate, it’s more engagement.”
He expressed concern with how Trump and some other Republicans have responded to Kirk’s killing, calling it a “slippery slope.”
He noted the U.S. Supreme Court has been clear that hateful speech is constitutional.
“There is a big difference between hateful speech, or speech that Donald Trump just doesn’t like, and speech that incites violence,” he said.
Shapiro said he wouldn’t comment on the causes of Kirk’s killing, pointing to his experience as a prosecutor and the importance of the local police investigation.
Redistricting and Gaza
On other topics, Shapiro condemned moves by Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to redistrict House seats to favor Republicans, and said Democrats should “fight fire with fire,” when they can, to redistrict their states.
And he called for the end to the war in Gaza.
“These children need to be fed in Gaza. The medicines need to be able to get in,” Shapiro said. “The war needs to end. The hostages need to be returned home. Hamas needs to be taken out of power.
Eagles as inspiration
Shapiro said the Philadelphia Eagles could serve as an example of how the country could handle its divisions. He quoted quarterback Jalen Hurts’ response to criticism of his passing yardage by pointing to the team’s success, with every member of the team knowing their role.
“The people, the media, the leaders — everybody’s got to play their role to be able to make our country better and stronger and heal from this challenging moment and, you know, maybe America can take a lesson from America’s team, the Philadelphia Eagles,” he said.
Welker, a Philadelphia native, asked him about the Eagles’ chances, and Shapiro said there was no question they can repeat their Super Bowl LIX win.