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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told the Associated Press that antisemitism is a serious problem in both major U.S. political parties, as he described how threats and political violence have affected him and his family and how his Jewish faith shapes his approach to public life.
In the interview, Shapiro said he still thinks about a 2025 attack on his home and described the long-term impact of that experience on him personally. He said he was “one of the fortunate ones” and was not killed or injured in the way Melissa Hortman, Charlie Kirk, Gabby Giffords, and Steve Scalise were, but he added that he and others still “walk around with the emotional scars of it.”
Shapiro said dealing with those effects has been more difficult in his roles as a father and a husband than as a governor, and he tied that difficulty to the idea that the work he loves brought his family “close to death.” He said he is still working through it, while continuing to govern.
When asked about antisemitism inside the Democratic Party, Shapiro said, “I think antisemitism is a very real problem in both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party,” and he asked the AP not to clip his words. He said antisemitism is a problem on both the political left and right and argued that it should have “no place” in politics, saying there should be no tolerance when leaders do not condemn what he described as antisemitism.
Shapiro said he has called out antisemitism on both sides and argued that “anyone who’s trying to lead this country” or lead a state or community has a responsibility to call it out “no matter which side of the aisle it’s on.”
He also addressed criticism from within his own party, including members who call him “Genocide Josh,” and he said he wants to “dialogue back” with them. Shapiro said there are “really two conversations here”: one about “antisemitism and hatred and bigotry,” which he described as “a black and white issue,” and another about “what should the policy of the United States be in the Middle East,” which he said involves “full of nuance.”
On the Middle East policy question, Shapiro said he focuses on what he said is in the best interest of the United States, including national security, economic interests, and stability. He said his view is that the outcome should include “a safe and secure Israel side by side with a safe and secure Palestinian state,” with Palestinian leadership recognizing Israel’s right to exist and with “kids growing up on both sides of the border” having “promise and prosperity.”
The interview also addressed the question of whether Shapiro’s faith informs his perspective on President Donald Trump. Shapiro said, “I don’t check with my faith as to where I’m going to be on an issue,” but he said his faith teaches him “to love thy neighbor” and “to have respect for others.” He said Trump, in his view, “scapegoats others,” “disrespects others,” and “attacks others,” and Shapiro said Trump is violating what he called the tenants of “our shared faith and our shared humanity.”
Shapiro added that his faith teaches him “to feed the hungry” and “to help those who are in need,” and he said he thinks Trump “could use a little bit more shared faith and shared humanity’s life.” He also said he believes Trump is “cruel” and brings “chaos every single day,” describing Trump as someone who engages in “cruelty and corruption.”
Asked whether he confronts antisemitism day to day, Shapiro said, “Yes,” and he described it from the perspective of threats that are motivated by faith. He said that on Friday, “a guy was arrested for terroristic threats and stalking me and my family in Carlisle, Pennsylvania,” and he said he believed there was “a rise in threats” and “a rise in hate directed our way.”
Shapiro said those threats do not deter him and that he tries to refuse to live in fear and to “back down.” He also said he finds “light and joy” in people who respect their neighbors, regardless of faith, and he said those connections help him “ignore the noise and ignore the hate and focus on the goodness in people.”