Josh Shapiro: Trump warned me that being president is "very, very dangerous" in "strange conversation" after arson attack
President Trump cautioned Josh Shapiro about running for president, telling him the job is "very, very dangerous," the Pennsylvania governor said in an interview with CBS News.
Shapiro said Trump called him to check in with him a week after his home was set on fire last spring. The attack came just hours after his family celebrated the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Shapiro said he initially sent the president's call to voicemail after seeing an unknown number. When he called back, he was surprised to hear Mr. Trump's voice.
"I didn't think he was going to answer that line. I assumed it was not really his number, and sure enough, he answered the phone," Shapiro recalled during an interview with CBS News senior correspondent Norah O'Donnell for "CBS Sunday Morning," airing this weekend.
During the call, Mr. Trump said his team would provide any law enforcement support needed to enhance security at the governor's mansion. Shapiro had already spoken with FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi about the state's investigation. [Cody Balmer, 38, later pleaded guilty to the attack, and was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison.]
"And then, I frankly expected the conversation to end there just a couple minutes in. And he then went on to bring up a lot of other topics," Shapiro said. One of them was about the 2028 presidential race. Shapiro has not announced plans for a 2028 presidential bid, and said he told Mr. Trump at the time that he was "not looking to run."
Shapiro said Mr. Trump cautioned him about pursuing a future presidential run.
Mr. Trump then addressed the rise in political violence, Shapiro said, referencing the 2024 assassination attempt against him during a campaign rally in Butler.
"And he said, 'You know, being president's a really dangerous job.' And he rattled off other jobs that have a lower fatality rate than presidents. And he said, 'It's very, very dangerous. Just be careful," Shapiro said. "I said, 'Mr. President, I'm not looking to run for president.' And he said, 'Well, I just wanted to share that with you.' And so it was a strange conversation that bounced through a lot of different topics. But look, I appreciate the fact that he called."
Shapiro shares more about his career in public service and his faith in his upcoming memoir, "Where We Keep the Light." Watch his conversation with Norah O'Donnell on "CBS Sunday Morning" January 25.