Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was considered a possible running mate for Kamala Harris last year, revealed that US President Donald Trump called him following the antisemitic arson attack committed at the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg on the night of the Passover Seder and was "very gracious" during their conversation.
Speaking with reporters yesterday (Tuesday), Shapiro said that Trump called him on Saturday, almost a week after the attack.
"I appreciated that the president called me," the governor said, adding that he initially did not take the president's call since he did not recognize cell phone number. "As soon as I heard his message, I called him right back."
"He was very gracious," Shapiro said of Trump's call. “He asked how Lori and the kids were doing. [We] talked for a couple minutes about what transpired at the residence, and then we talked about for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics."
“Obviously, I’m not going to get into our private conversation,” he said. “But he’s attuned to the issues that are important to me. I, of course, know the issues that are important to him, and we agreed to stay in touch going forward.”
The arson attack occurred just hours after the Shapiro family hosted a Passover dinner at the state-owned residence. Governor Shapiro, his wife Lori, their four children, two dogs, and another visiting family were forced to evacuate the home, which sustained significant damage. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
According to the arrest warrant, the suspect in the attempted assassination, Cody Balmer, called 911 after committing the attack and claimed that Shapiro needed to know that he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people."
The warrant also states that Shapiro's Jewish faith was part of what motivated Balmer's attack, as well as “perceived injustices to the people of Palestine.”
President Trump condemned the attempted assassination of Governor Shapiro during a meeting with El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele last week, saying, "Certainly, a thing like this cannot be allowed to happen.”