Pa. Gov. Shapiro says Trump admin threats to crack down on speech ‘should scare everyone’

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said during a national television interview that he’s experiencing fear and sadness over a “dangerous” moment in American public life, as he reflected on recent acts of political aggression and federal threats toward media organizations.

During his Sept. 21 appearance on Meet the Press, the weekly NBC talk show, the Keystone State Democrat spoke about the violence that erupted in Utah with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and in Harrisburg with the April firebombing of the governor’s mansion.

America, he said, needs to do better.

“I think we’re at an inflection point as a nation, and I think we can go in a number of different ways,” he told host Kristen Welker. “I hope we go the direction of healing, of bringing people together.”

The first-term governor also fielded questions about freedom of speech, whether he thinks President Donald Trump is an autocrat and his own political future.

Here are some takeaways from the roughly half-hour interview.

Shapiro said political violence has left him with ’emotional scars’

During the interview, which broadcast on the day of Kirk’s funeral, Shapiro talked about how political violence can cause both physical and emotional harm to its victims, along with broader damage to civic life.

He said he’s still dealing with emotional fallout from the night an alleged arsonist broke into his home and lit it ablaze while he and his family were asleep upstairs. All the mansion’s occupants escaped physically unharmed, but the governor said he’s experienced inner turmoil over the thought that his choice of profession has exposed his children to danger.

“I don’t want to equate the challenges that me and my family face with what Charlie Kirk’s widow and his two children are going to have to face. It’s not the same,” he said. “But I can tell you that an attack against anyone leaves scars.”

These acts also hurt the community as a whole, Shapiro argued, making people feel unsafe and hesitant to voice their opinions.

“It’s insidious,” he said.

He condemned the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show

The governor expressed dismay at ABC’s decision to pull comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s show off-air temporarily after the host made a joke about how MAGA adherents were trying to “score political points” from Kirk’s assassination. On Sept. 22, the company announced the show would return to the airwaves.

Before the network suspended Kimmel’s show, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr seemingly threatened to take action against ABC unless it reined in the late-night entertainer.

But Shapiro said government regulators have no business stifling speech simply because it’s ill-considered or upsets those in power.

The governor described a “chilling” recent conversation with a Pennsylvania radio host who acknowledged worrying about making on-air comments that would anger federal regulators or Trump. Shapiro noted that Trump and other members of the MAGA coalition have branded themselves as patriots and champions of bedrock American values like freedom of speech.

“And now, to see how quickly they are eroding one of the foundational guideposts of our nation should scare everyone, whether you agree with the president or not, whether you voted for him or not,” Shapiro said.

But he stopped short of calling Trump an autocrat

When Welker asked the governor if he’d consider Trump an autocrat, Shapiro said he tries to avoid using labels.

“I’m trying to have a dialogue with other people,” he said.

However, he does believe Trump is doing serious damage to American institutions and norms and that his policies are eroding fundamental freedoms. Governors, he said, should act as a bulwark in these times to shield their states from harmful federal policies and from Trump when he “overreaches.”

“I think he’s got a record of doing things that are making people’s lives worse,” Shapiro said of Trump. “And I think it’s important to fight back against that.”

He doesn’t blame Dems for wading into partisan redistricting battles

Republicans and Democrats across the nation are looking at redrawing congressional district boundaries — something that usually only happens after the once-per-decade census — to give them an edge in next year’s House races.

Shapiro said that type of effort wouldn’t fly in Pennsylvania, where political power is divided between the two parties.

But he didn’t condemn other Democratic governors for pursuing it, either, pointing out that the current partisan struggle over district maps started with Texas Republicans at Trump’s behest.

“You’ve got to fight back,” Shapiro said, later adding that “Once (Texas Gov.) Greg Abbott decided that he was going to disenfranchise voters in Texas and rig the election for Republicans, you can’t let that stand.”

He wouldn’t say much about the 2028 presidential race

There’s been plenty of speculation that the Pennsylvania Democrat harbors presidential ambitions and could be a contender in the 2028 primary race. Shapiro avoided fueling the rumors.

He said he’s focused on his job as governor, focusing “like a laser beam” on the commonwealth’s needs and protecting it from “the excesses” of Trump’s policies.

When asked if he’d commit to serving a full second term as governor, Shapiro sidestepped the question, saying he hasn’t even announced his reelection campaign yet. That news, he said, will be forthcoming.

“I don’t think it’ll be breaking news, but we’ll be able to make that announcement soon,” he said.