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Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro claimed in a new interview that President Donald Trump warned him not to run for president after an arson attack on Shapiro’s home last year.
Shapiro spoke with podcast host and journalist Katie Couric about his new book, “Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service” Wednesday, when Couric asked the governor about how, in the book, he described an “odd” moment in his conversation with Trump.
Though Shapiro called the talk “productive,” he remarked that he found it strange that Trump used the time to encourage him not to run for higher office.
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“[T]oward the end of the call, he began musing aloud about political violence and how dangerous it is to be a president,” Shapiro said. “And he was complete with statistics on the number of presidents who have been assassinated, or where there’s been an attempted assassination, and just said, ‘It’s a very dangerous thing. Don’t run.’
“And I sort of chuckled and said, ‘Mr. President, that’s not in my plans. That’s not what I’m doing. But I appreciate your sentiments.’ And, you know, he was complimentary of my work, and we agreed to stay in touch. So, it was strange certainly, but, again, I appreciate the fact that he called.”
In a comment to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson appeared to confirm the exchange, noting that Trump understands the dangers of political violence personally.
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“As the survivor of two assassination attempts and tragically watching his dear friend Charlie [Kirk] be assassinated, no one understands the dangers of political violence more than President Trump. He has encouraged national Democrats to turn down the temperature, while not hesitating to speak the truth about the challenges our country faces,” Jackson said.
Trump called Shapiro one week after an arsonist attempted to set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion while Shapiro and his family were inside after the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Shapiro had previously called the president “very gracious” and said they discussed several topics.
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“He was very gracious,” Shapiro said in April. “He asked how Lori and the kids were doing. [We] talked for a couple of minutes about what transpired at the residence, and then we talked for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics.”
Shapiro, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, did not confirm to Couric whether he plans to run for president but instead warned fellow Democrats about looking too far ahead for a future party leader.
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“I would also caution anyone who wants to just simply look ahead to who that person is or what that particular lane, you know, political lane is. I’d caution anyone from looking past these midterms,” Shapiro said.
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