Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was one of the speakers who took the stage Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Shapiro focused on the theme of freedom during his speech, drawing cheers from the crowd.
“Are you ready to protect our rights?! Are you ready to secure our freedoms?! And are you ready to defend our democracy?! And are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz?! America, let’s get to work,” Shapiro said.
While Shapiro’s speech drew plenty of praise from Democrats, it also sparked criticism from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Trump took to the social media platform Truth Social, calling Shapiro – who is Jewish – a “highly overrated Jewish Governor.”
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
“The highly overrated Jewish Governor of the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, made a really bad and poorly delivered speech talking about freedom and fighting for Comrade Kamala Harris for President, yet she hates Israel and will do nothing but make its journey through the complexities of survival as difficult as possible, hoping in the end that it will fail. Judge only by her actions,” Trump wrote. “Yet Shapiro, for strictly political reasons, refused to acknowledge that I am the best friend that Israel, and the Jewish people, ever had. I have done more for Israel than any President, and frankly, I have done more for Israel than any person, and it’s not even close. Shapiro has done nothing for Israel, and never will. Comrade Kamala Harris, the Radical Left Marxist who stole the nomination from Crooked Joe, will do even less. Israel is in BIG trouble!”
Trump’s statement sparked controversy, with some accusing the former president of antisemitism. While speaking with NBC10’s Lauren Mayk on Thursday in response to the social media post, Shapiro accused Trump of peddling “antisemitic tropes.”
“I mean first off, I think it’s clear over the last few weeks, Donald Trump is obsessed with me and obsessed with continuing to spew hate and division in our politics. He’s someone who has routinely peddled antisemitic tropes like this,” Shapiro said.
U.S. & World
Shapiro went on to predict that Trump would lose to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
“Look, remember, he’s the guy who wanted Doug Mastriano to have this job,” Shapiro said. “He’s the guy who has been repeatedly rejected by the voters of Pennsylvania. He himself lost in 2020. All of his handpicked candidates have lost. And I think he’s heading for another loss, this time to Kamala Harris.”
Shapiro then referenced his own speech Wednesday night, comparing it favorably to Trump’s rhetoric.
“I think you all heard me talk last night at the DNC, the exact polar opposite of what Donald Trump is talking about. I’m talking about real freedom,” Shapiro said. “Bringing people together. Accepting folks no matter what they look like, where they come from, who they love, who they pray too and saying, 'This is a place for you.' That’s diametrically opposed to everything Donald Trump believes. And it’s clear that he’s going to continue to be the hateful, divisive person that he’s always been in this campaign. And I think, given his track record, it’s clear he’s setting himself up for another defeat.”
Shapiro also said he was most concerned about the impact Trump’s statements have on American citizens.
“Folks from Pennsylvania, folks from around the country who come to me and say, ‘I’m a proud American Jew. I’m proud of my faith and I’m now scared to practice my faith because of what Donald Trump and his allies keep saying.’ So it’s less about what they say about me but more about how that hits other people,” Shapiro said. “How that makes other people feel. And Donald Trump is making other people feel less safe. Less prideful in who they are. This should be a country where no matter who you are, you belong and you feel like you belong. And Donald Trump is trying to rip that away from people.”
When asked if he believes Trump is antisemitic, Shapiro again accused the former president of spreading “antisemitic tropes.”
“I think Donald Trump has a long history of spewing antisemitic tropes, racist tropes,” Shapiro said. “He attacks other people for who they are, what they look like, what they believe in. And that is not the way any American should act, let alone someone who wants to be the leader of this country.”
Kamala Harris is scheduled to speak on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.
