Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Spencer Cox of Utah share the stage at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C. on Tues., Dec. 9.
Commonwealth Media Services / PAcast
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox jointly condemn political violence
The governors called for civil dialogue while offering different politics and policies.
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Jordan Wilkie/WITF
Commonwealth Media Services / PAcast
Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Spencer Cox of Utah share the stage at the Washington National Cathedral in D.C. on Tues., Dec. 9.
Two of the country’s highest-profile voices against political violence — governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Spencer Cox of Utah — shared the stage in the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday night to discuss how to address the problem.
Each has overseen the response to high-profile, politically motivated attacks in their states. In Pennsylvania, a gunman narrowly missed President Donald Trump as he was campaigning in 2024, then an arsonist burned down part of the governor’s mansion in assassination attempt against Shapiro himself. In Utah, a gunman murdered conservative organizer and media personality Charlie Kirk.
Shapiro and Cox spoke of the importance of debate to resolving political differences, though they offered different views on who should be responsible for leading the country away from political violence and toward a more productive politics.
Shapiro, a Democrat who is widely expected to run for president in 2028, started the discussion by saying political violence is not logical and harms members of both major parties.
News outlets, political commentators and the general public apply narratives to perpetrators of political violence in attempts to explain the act or to place blame, with early and online speculation often veering far from the truth. An assassin, real or aspirational, is not “a linear thinker, and so sometimes your views can be characterized on the political right or the political left,” Shapiro said.
Political leaders across the spectrum need to condemn all acts of violence, Shapiro said. He then contrasted his own leadership with that of Trump, who has selectively responded to acts of violence.
“Here’s what we cannot allow: For leaders that don’t act with moral clarity, remain silent about certain violence or give a pass to others,” Shapiro said. “Because that is insidious. That is gasoline on the fire, and that leads to greater violence.”
Experts in political violence prevention say the unified condemnation of violence is one of the most important acts leaders can take in the wake of an attack to prevent escalation because it removes a primary justification for the violence. Shapiro said Trump failed to mourn the death of the Minnesota legislature’s Speaker of the House, Melissa Hortman, after she was murdered by a man targeting Democrats.
Shapiro also criticized Trump’s speech during Kirk’s memorial. In her remarks, Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, said she forgave the man who shot and killed her husband and called for an end to violence. Trump then took the stage and said he could not do that.
“I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them,” Trump said at the memorial.
Shapiro touted how both he and Cox condemn acts of violence no matter the motive or the target.
Cox said the political failures driving violence are too big to blame on a single leader. The problem of violence, he said, would not be solved by governors or presidents, but by “we the people.”
“There is an exhausted majority in this country,” Cox said. “Seventy percent of Americans hate what’s happening in politics right now. They’re desperate for something different. And yes, you can point at the president. But I’m just here to tell you that neither party is interested in addressing that market failure right now.”
The governors both said active and responsive governments that help people live better lives can help prevent the spread of violence. Research shows that political disillusion, fueled by the normalization of polarization and violence, is a factor for further violence.
Both governors asked voters to press their elected officials to do a better job of governing. Pennsylvania, which is one of only three states in the nation where Democrats and Republicans each control a branch of the legislature, passed its state budget over four months late.
“What is imperative is that we engage more in democracy building, that we vote, that we engage with lawmakers and force them into positions where they actually solve our problems,” he said.
Cox said one of the most pressing problems facing the country is social media companies, which he said drives outrage and division as a profit strategy.
“If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the social media companies,” Cox said. “These are the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the history of the world. And they’re profiting off of destroying our kids and destroying our country. And they know it. And it’s very intentional”
Cox said he “100%” would support a social media ban for children under 16, a policy implemented this week in Australia. He compared the damage social media companies are doing to the pharmaceutical companies that popularized and widely distributed opioid medicines in the early 2000s while claiming the drug was non-addictive.
Shapiro said he would not back that level of ban. Instead, he pointed to a media literacy project led by his wife and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, which seeks to teach students how to spot inaccurate information online. He also called for more civics education in schools, and said the government should look for opportunities to regulate artificial intelligence, without identifying specific regulatory concerns.
The governors closed the discussion by highlighting a student exchange initiative between their two states intended to help young people meet counterparts from different backgrounds. Shapiro and Cox also offered closing remarks referencing their spiritual backgrounds — Judaism and Mormonism, respectively — and the lessons of protecting your neighbor and loving your enemy.
“This country, if we’re going to make it another 250 years, if we’re gonna make it another 2.5 years, we desperately need you tonight to lay down your swords and to treat each other with dignity and respect again,” Cox said.
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