Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) on Tuesday said President Donald Trump called him on Saturday, about a week after the arson attack at his home in Harrisburg, describing him as “very gracious.”
Shapiro told reporters that he “appreciated” Trump’s gesture to reach out over the weekend, adding that he didn’t immediately pick up his call.
“I actually didn’t take his call because it came from his cellphone, and I didn’t have that number in my phone, so I didn’t know who it was,” Shapiro said. “As soon as I heard his message, called him right back.”
The governor said Trump was “very gracious,” and wanted to know how his wife and children were doing following the attack.
We “talked for a couple minutes about what transpired at the residence, and then we talked about for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics,” Shapiro said.
“Obviously, I’m not going to get into our private conversation here, but he’s tuned to the issues that are important to me. I, of course, know the issues that are important to him, and we agreed to stay in touch going forward,” he added.
The residence was attacked in the middle of the night April 13 after an alleged arsonist set fire to the property while Shapiro, his family and their guests were upstairs sleeping after having celebrated Passover. No one was injured but the property sustained significant damage.
Police have arrested Cody Balmer in connection with the attack. Balmer, who according to an affidavit told police he would have hit Shapiro with a sledgehammer had he found him that night, faces several charges, including attempted homicide and arson.
During an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Thursday, Shapiro said he had received calls from members of Trump’s administration following the incident, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, but not the president himself. Vice President JD Vance condemned the attack on social media.
Shapiro on Tuesday reopened the residence to the public for an Easter egg hunt, telling reporters that he hopes to be able to sleep at the residence “at some point this week.”
Asked if he will be comfortable doing so given the events that transpired at the property, Shapiro replied: “I will be, yes.”
“I’m not going to live in fear,” he added.