Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro publicly pushed back against claims made about him in former Vice President Kamala Harris’ new book on the 2024 presidential campaign, sharply disputing her characterization of their vice-presidential selection meeting, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.
The comments came during an interview with The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta, who had an advance copy of Harris’ book, “107 Days,” when he met with Shapiro earlier this fall.
Alberta wrote that Shapiro had received no advance notice of what Harris planned to publish. When the reporter told him that the book included criticism of his conduct during the running-mate vetting process, Shapiro’s reaction shifted noticeably.
“The man I observed over the next several minutes was unrecognizable. Gone was his equilibrium,” Alberta recounted, noting that Shapiro moved “between outrage and exasperation” as excerpts were read to him.
According to Alberta, Harris wrote that Shapiro behaved as if he were “measuring the drapes,” asking about featuring Pennsylvania artists in the vice-presidential residence and signaling “that he would want to be in the room for every decision” she would make if elected.
Harris also claimed Shapiro attempted to dominate their meeting about potentially joining her ticket, to the point that she reminded him “that he would not be co-president.”
“She wrote that in her book?” Shapiro asked when Alberta relayed the claim about the residence artwork.
“That’s complete and utter bullsh*t.”
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Shapiro added, “I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies.”
Alberta reported that sources familiar with the meeting from both the Harris and Shapiro camps found Harris’ account “mostly consistent” with their own understanding of the interaction.
He wrote that Shapiro arrived “in an edgy mood,” frustrated by internal Democratic criticism surrounding his consideration for the ticket.
Alberta noted that Shapiro, who is Jewish, was “especially irked by anti-Semitic innuendo from the left.” According to the reporter, Shapiro conducted the meeting as though he were interviewing Harris instead of the other way around.
Shapiro acknowledged he had asked many questions. “I did ask a bunch of questions,” he said. “Wouldn’t you ask questions if someone was talking to you about forming a partnership and working together?”
When asked whether he felt betrayed by Harris for including the claims in her book, Shapiro replied, “I mean, she’s trying to sell books and cover her ass.”
Alberta wrote that Shapiro paused, appeared frustrated, and then corrected himself. “I shouldn’t say ‘cover her ass.’ I think that’s not appropriate,” he said. “She’s trying to sell books. Period.”
Shapiro also discussed former President Donald Trump, offering an assessment of his political impact. “Donald Trump has been a once-in-a-generation political figure who’s managed to connect on a deeper cultural level,” he said.
Reflecting on the 2024 election, Shapiro said, “We can’t ignore the fact that elections are binary choices. And so you’re asking people, at least in the last case, to choose between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.”
He added, “We can have this kind of theoretical conversation about Trump, but, like, it was always Trump versus somebody.”
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