Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned the rise of political violence throughout a joint interview with NCS’s Dana Bash, calling on politicians, together with President Donald Trump, to assist decrease the temperature within the nation.
The two responded on Tuesday to the president’s comments criticizing Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar throughout a rally in Pennsylvania. The president mentioned his administration “ought to get her the hell out” of the United States and disparaged her residence nation as “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”
Cox burdened that it’s attainable to name for Omar to be voted out of workplace with out attacking her faith or ethnic background.
“I know that the president disagrees with me,” he mentioned, later including: “I understand he’s not interested in uniting the country, and he would tell you that, I think, if he were sitting here with us tonight.”
Shapiro mentioned leaders have a duty to talk “with moral clarity,” which he mentioned the president had did not do.
“What he does – when he attacks a fellow American like that – is it sends a signal to others in this country that others can be scapegoated, others can be singled out, others can be targeted or, worse yet, others can become victims of political violence,” he mentioned. “I think the president needs to do better.”
Cox and Shapiro sat down with NCS at Washington National Cathedral as half of a marketing campaign to talk out in opposition to the rise in political violence, together with latest assaults which have rocked their very own states. In April, a man attempted to assassinate Shapiro and his household in an arson assault on the governor’s mansion. Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was assassinated on a Utah faculty campus in September.
Shapiro mentioned he felt it was essential to interact within the effort with Cox, whom he disagrees with on a number of points.
“The antidote to the violence that we are seeing is for the American people to see that there are leaders who are able to disagree, but disagree in a constructive way,” he mentioned.
The two spoke about how their completely different faiths – Shapiro is Jewish, and Cox is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – form their method to politics. They additionally spoke of the necessity to name out members of their very own events who have interaction in harmful rhetoric.
“Part of speaking and acting with moral clarity is calling it out wherever we see it,” Shapiro mentioned, noting that he criticized liberals who celebrated the dying of Kirk or the assassination try on Trump in Butler final 12 months.
The two additionally shared some coverage variations. On affordability considerations, which Trump has known as a “hoax,” Shapiro criticized the president’s insurance policies, from tariffs to this 12 months’s tax and home coverage laws, which he mentioned contributed to the problem.
“I would say that this is not a hoax, but this is a moment where people really need relief,” Shapiro mentioned.
“We want the president to succeed in reducing prices. The problem is every policy he’s put in place has jacked up prices,” he added.
Cox agreed that voters’ cost-of-living considerations are actual, however positioned most of the blame on the previous administration. He mentioned that Trump was elected in 2024 after campaigning on these financial worries.
“I believe that the Biden policies did hurt our country, and I believe that they do continue to hurt our country,” Cox mentioned. “We saw a significant increase in prices because of those policies. And I’m not sure we’re, quite honestly, doing enough to reduce those prices right now.”
Despite their political variations, Cox and Shapiro spoke extremely of one another all through the interview, praising the work they mentioned their fellow governor had carried out to “get stuff done” of their respective states.
Cox mentioned he thought Shapiro would make an excellent president, and that he’s “biased” towards governors.
“I’ve been very impressed with what he’s been able to do, on the economy, with permitting reform, cutting regulation – that sounded like red state stuff,” Cox mentioned. “And he’s doing it.”
The Utah governor later added: “I also want to say: I really hope a Republican wins, I just need to point that out.”
Shapiro mentioned Cox would even be an excellent chief.
“I think we’re gonna need a lot of healing in this country after three more years of Donald Trump,” Shapiro mentioned. “I think a guy like Spencer Cox can provide that kind of healing and that moral clarity our country needs.”