Josh Shapiro says Trump warned him 'don't run' for president after arson attack
Trump spoke to Pennsylvania governor after arsonist set fire to his home last year
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa, claimed in a new interview that President Donald Trump warned him not to run for president after an arson attack on his 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" on 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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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recounted his conversation with President Donald Trump last year on Katie Couric's podcast. (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"[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.'"
He continued, "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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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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An arsonist attempted to set the Pennsylvania governor's mansion on fire while Josh Shapiro and his family were inside in April. (Commonwealth Media Services/Handout via Reuters)
"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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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, following the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Shapiro had previously called the president "very gracious" and said they discussed several topics.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"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."
President Donald Trump, left, spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, right, after the arson attack. (AP Images)
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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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"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.