Details About Donald Trump's Bizarre Rant To A Governor Whose House Was Set On Fire

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On April 13, 2025, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro went through one of the most terrifying nights imaginable when a man broke in and set fire to the governor's residence while Shapiro and his family were sleeping inside. Thankfully, everyone survived and the culprit quickly surrendered to law enforcement. It was another episode of violence in American politics, one that President Donald Trump knows all too well after facing multiple assassination attempts, so it should come as no surprise that the Republican crossed party lines to reach out to his Democrat foe. But then Trump said something strange.

As Shapiro recalled in a January 2026 interview with "CBS Sunday Morning" host Norah O'Donnell, after the fire he returned a missed call from Trump, who told him he'd help with " ... whatever support we needed from a law enforcement perspective," as is accustomed for a leader to do. Then, the conversation continued on. Trump brought up running for president to Shapiro, before taking a left turn: "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, who was on the shortlist to be Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024, told Trump, "I'm not looking to run for president." As of writing, he still hasn't announced a run for 2028, although he has published a memoir, "Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service," which has often been the first step for those running for America's highest office.

During their phone call, President Donald Trump spoke to Josh Shapiro about the attempt on his life, which happened in Butler, Pennsylvania. On July 13, 2024, exactly nine months before Shapiro's home was attacked, then-former President Trump was shot by a would-be assassin during a campaign rally. Turning his head at the perfect time saved his life, as the bullet grazed Trump's ear. Just two months later, Trump was involved in another assassination attempt at his Palm Beach golf club when the Secret Service saw a man in the treeline setting up with a rifle. In both instances, Trump was not the president, but he is right about the danger. Out of the 45 people who have held the job at the time of Trump's second administration, four have been shot and killed, and another, Ronald Reagan, was wounded by an assailant's bullet.

The arson attack on Shapiro's home hasn't stopped him from being involved in politics. Nine months later he announced that he was running in 2026 for re-election to be the governor of Pennsylvania. When he ran in 2022, Shapiro took over 56% of the vote (via Politico). Despite Trump's warning, a run for president could be in his future, with a January 2026 Race to the WH poll showing Shapiro polling at sixth place to be the potential Democratic nominee in 2028.