Shapiro recalls warning Biden ‘it’s not going well’ in Pennsylvania
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In a new interview, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reminded “The Breakfast Club” of how he tried to break bad news about the election to then-President Joe Biden before dropping out of the race.
Although nearly a year has passed since the 2024 elections, which are seen as a showdown for Democrats, the party is still trying to make sense of where it went wrong in recent years.
Shapiro, who introduced himself as a moderate of the party that does its best to establish dialogue with conservatives, candidly explained the serious warnings he made to Biden while he was still the de facto 2024 Democratic candidate.
“I went directly to the president and talked to him about the challenges I was facing in Pennsylvania. I was really honest with him.” said Shapiro. “We met at a coffee shop in Harrisburg. I think the news was reported. So I’ll share it with you. ‘How’s it going?’ he said. I was very clear: ‘Things are not going well.'”
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Governor Josh Shapiro recalled telling then-President Biden that the elections were not looking good in his state. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
He later remembered what he said to Biden at the time.
“Polls show things are not going well,” he said. “I don’t think you addressed the cost question. Let’s go back to what we talked about earlier about rising costs. It was a big theme in the campaign. It was a big issue in Pennsylvania. I didn’t think they handled it that well. I expressed that I thought people thought he wasn’t up to the job.”
Shapiro argued that his personal style and approach shaped the way he handled this conversation.
“Look, it may be old school, but I believe that if you have something to say, say it directly to that person’s face, and that’s the president of the United States. I respected him, I still respect him, and I respect him enough to say it directly to his face,” he said.
Asked how this sobering assessment was received at the time, Shapiro said, “I think he heard it. He told me the poll numbers were different and he seemed determined to move forward. And listen, that’s his call.”
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Many Democrats reflected on his statements and interactions during the Biden campaign and the Harris campaign that followed. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
He also recalled discussing with Biden that part of his problem was that Biden’s team wasn’t forthcoming with his own boss.
“Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne tha God argued that such stories should be told by future Democratic presidential hopefuls, arguing that “anyone who wants to lead this party in the future should throw that old regime under the bus.”
But Shapiro disagreed.
“I don’t believe you can get ahead in life by throwing people under the bus,” he said. “I don’t believe I have to kick someone to get ahead. I think you have to show your work. I think you have to show a vision. I think you have to tell people what you are about.”
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)
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Shapiro was considered as Kamala Harris’ running mate but ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. While Trump won Pennsylvania and the presidency, Shapiro was prescient about Democrats’ problems in his state.
Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s team but did not immediately receive a response.
