Gov. Josh Shapiro responds to calls that he'd make a good president, VP nominee if Biden steps down
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Amid growing suggestions from Democrats that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro could be a good fit on a presidential ticket should Joe Biden step off it, Shapiro told KDKA-TV during an exclusive interview that he wouldn't discuss the hypothetical.
"I'm not going to get into hypotheticals. The president has made clear he is running, [and] I am proud to serve as Pennsylvania governor," Shapiro told KDKA-TV's Ricky Sayer in response to a question about whether he'd run for president if Biden dropped out.
When asked if he would join Kamala Harris [as a vice presidential nominee], Shapiro reiterated what he said moments before.
"I'm not going to engage in hypotheticals. I love serving as governor, President Biden has made it clear he is running, the Biden-Harris ticket is the presidential ticket, and I support him."
While he wouldn't engage in the hypothetical on Saturday, he did do so in January of 2023 while speaking with KDKA-TV political editor John Delano.
Delano asked Shapiro that if President Biden didn't run for President in 2024, would Shapiro run?
"No, and I have every expectation Biden will run again," Shapiro said in the 2023 interview.
KDKA-TV also asked Shapiro directly about where he stands on the growing calls from elected Democrats who say President Joe Biden should leave the presidential ticket.
"President Biden made has clear he's in the race, he's running, I support him," Shapiro said, adding there is a clear contrast in the race. "Donald Trump is very dangerous for Pennsylvanians. He is someone who wants to take away our freedoms. He's already taken away the freedom of women to be able to control their own bodies, he wants to take away healthcare from 1.2 million Pennsylvanians and inject more chaos back into our lives. I don't think we need that."
Shapiro said we are showing in Pennsylvania that common sense and calm leadership is the direction we are going in.
"That's the direction I try and lead in; that's the direction we need more of in this country," Shapiro said.
The interview took place a week after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler.
KDKA-TV asked Shapiro if, based on what he has learned since the attempted assassination, he could rule out that Pa. law enforcement officers were responsible for the security failure.
"There's an investigation, obviously, that is ongoing. Col. Christopher Paris, the leader of our state police, does an outstanding job, along with the men and women of the state police," Shapiro said, adding Paris would testify this upcoming week in Washington D.C.
"We're happy to provide whatever insight and help we can to those investigating," Shapiro said.
Shapiro spoke to KDKA-TV during his stop at Picklesburgh after he helped out during a pickle bobbing contest.
"This is an iconic event right here in this amazing city of Pittsburgh, and what I love is people coming from across the United States here," Shapiro said.
Shapiro noted how he was the first governor to attend Picklesburgh.