Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, mentioned in a recent interview that he is concerned about the ongoing threat of political violence after an arson attack targeted his home in Harrisburg last weekend.
“This is a concerning aspect of our society today and must be condemned universally,” Shapiro stated during an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. The interview aired on Friday on “Good Morning America.”
“I don’t care if it’s from the left or the right. I don’t care if it’s from someone who voted, someone who didn’t, someone from a specific party, or someone from another,” he elaborated.
The individual accused, 38-year-old Cody Allen Ballmer, is facing several charges linked to the arson that occurred early Sunday morning, while Shapiro and his family were asleep following a Passover Seder at their home.
With tears in his eyes, Governor Shapiro recounted the peaceful moments before his family had to flee the fire.
“We were hosting guests from our community,” he shared with Stephanopoulos. “It was a truly lovely evening.”
Shapiro, who was chosen as the running mate for the former vice president in the 2024 presidential election and is seen as an emerging leader in the Democratic Party, is of Jewish faith.
Fortunately, there were no injuries resulting from the fire, but it caused significant damage to his official residence, requiring millions for repairs. Officials noted that the closed kitchen door likely prevented the fire from spreading to the area where Shapiro’s family was sleeping.
Court documents reveal that Ballmer expressed a strong dislike for Shapiro and claimed he would have attacked him with a hammer had he encountered the governor during the incident. Ballmer was denied bail after his arrest on Monday, with investigators citing “fraud perceived by the Palestinians” as his motive.
During the interview, Shapiro did not clarify whether he believed the fire should be classified as a hate crime.
“I believe that’s a determination for the prosecutor to make based on their findings,” he commented.
Shapiro mentioned that he had not heard directly from President Trump at the time of the interview, but he had spoken with FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Federal agencies are assisting in the state’s investigation.
“Such acts cannot be tolerated,” Trump commented when asked by reporters about the attack on Monday.
“The attacker was not a supporter of Trump. From what I gathered from reports, he was not in favor of any group. It seems he acted out of personal issues,” he added.
Former President Trump previously criticized Shapiro in a social media post following the governor’s speech at the Democratic National Convention last August, labeling him as “the highly overrated Jewish governor of Pennsylvania.”
Shapiro stressed the necessity for leaders to “speak and act with moral clarity” against politically-motivated threats and violence.
“Right after the attempted assassination [of Trump] in Butler, Pennsylvania, I condemned it in the strongest possible terms,” he stated. “I immediately traveled to Butler.”
He also mentioned his visit to Altoona, Pennsylvania.
“I went there right away and condemned the violence unequivocally,” the governor remarked. “It’s important that we address such threats consistently, be it in Butler, Altoona, or here in Harrisburg.
The interview concluded with a walkthrough of the damaged areas.
“This is my first return to this room,” Shapiro shared with his wife, Lori Shapiro, at his side. “I was here at 3 a.m., witnessing the damage firsthand.”
“We’re safe. The children are strong. Lori was incredibly resilient.”
