Greetings everyone. Have a special treat for you today. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro dropped by for a conversation earlier this afternoon. I’m excited to share a video recording of our discussion above and a full transcript below.
I kicked off our conversation by asking the Governor what it was like to govern a major state with a president and party seemingly so intent on doing things to harm every day Americans. Here is a portion of his response, and yes we need more GSD Democrats!
Yeah. I mean, look, I’m a self-described GSD Democrat — a get-shit-done Democrat. I believe government can be a force for good in people’s lives. And so every day I’m working to be able to deliver for them. Good schools for their kids, a safe community, economic opportunity, a community they can afford to live in, protecting their rights and freedoms. And so every day you’re battling to deliver that. Sadly, every day now I have to battle a federal administration who’s trying to undermine our progress in every one of those areas.
Let me give you a few specifics. First, they cut about $4 billion of monies that were supposed to go to our schools, for environmental protection, for health care, for our cops, firefighters and first responders. I had to sue the Trump administration to get that money back. And by the way, every time I sued, we won. They’ve come into our state, into some of our historic sites around Independence Hall, and quite literally ripped down signs about slavery, about our actual story of American history. I had to sue them to stop them from whitewashing our history. They’re trying to dictate to our hospitals how our doctors here can treat children, what vaccines are going to be available for parents to be able to give to their kids. Someone asked me the other day, Simon, you know, how is this different than the Biden administration? On a bad day with the Biden administration, they just weren’t able to help you, but they certainly didn’t hurt you.
On a normal day with the Trump administration, they’re hurting us. And look at the broader impact they’re having — their tariffs have cost every Pennsylvania family $1,700. They’re killing our farmers right now. Our farmers have lost market share. They’re really, really struggling. And now every time you try and go fill up the tank, it’s $4.65 because of this war of choice that Donald Trump chose to get into and has no friggin’ idea how to get out of.
So they’re hurting us every single day, and I’m doing everything in my power to fight back.
We also talked about his re-election campaign and how central Pennsylvania will be to our effort to take back the House this November. After getting elected twice as the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, Shapiro was elected Governor in 2022 by a very wide margin, 57%-41%. He is one of the most successful and popular governors in America today with 62% of Pennsylvanians approving of his performance and only 27% disapproving, according to a February Morning Consult poll. Recent polls have him leading by 20 points or more in a state Harris lost by 2 points so his re-election campaign is off to a very strong start.
In our discussion Governor Shapiro makes it very clear he will be doing everything he can to help us flip the four Pennsylvania House seats Democrats are targeting this cycle - PA-1, PA-7, PA-8, and PA-10 - and understands that with more House pick up opportunities than any other state he has a critical role to play in helping Democrats win back control of the House this November. Hopium has endorsed in PA-08 (Cognetti) and PA-10 (Stelson) and will be endorsing the candidates who emerge from the Democratic primaries in PA-01 and PA-07 this Tuesday. I am proud to say that this remarkable community has already raised Cognetti and Stelson almost $100,000 each this cycle - so yes we are all in for these four critical PA House races!
When I asked the Governor how he was preparing for any potential effort by the Trump regime to interfere in the PA elections given how important they are to our effort to win back the House here is what he said:
let’s go back to 2020 just for some context on this. I was the Attorney General of Pennsylvania when Donald Trump lost the election here in our Commonwealth by I think it was about 80,000 votes. He sued, and his allies sued me, 43 different times to stop certain Pennsylvanians’ votes from being counted. Trump went 0 for 43, I went 43-0, and we had a free and fair, safe and secure election. I know what this guy is capable of, and I know what he will try to do in our courts to thwart the will of the people here in Pennsylvania. Whatever they decide, whoever they vote for — we will respect the will of the people. We are prepared to fight back in court yet again. And as you just heard, I’ve got a damn good track record on that.
We closed with a discussion of his new memoir, Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service. I noted to the Governor that spreading light amidst the darkness is what we try to do here every day at Hopium, and felt his book and his description of why he serves was very much in keeping with this community’s foundational creed. Hearing him talk about his journey and his understanding of service was a wonderful way to close out this uplifting conversation.
Enjoy this discussion with one of our party’s most important leaders, share it with others, and keep working hard all. We have a country to save, and elections to win, together! - Simon
Bio - Josh Shapiro, 48th Governor of Pennsylvania
Every day as Governor, Josh Shapiro has brought people together to get stuff done and protect Pennsylvanians’ fundamental freedoms.
Governor Shapiro believes all Pennsylvanians should have the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed – and that is what he has worked to deliver: from creating jobs and putting money back in people’s pockets, to investing in law enforcement and community organizations to improve public safety, to delivering historic funding for our kids’ education, to protecting our freedoms and our democracy.
Governor Shapiro has delivered results on the issues that matter most; he has shown up in moments of crisis and emergency; and he has proven every day that he is a Governor who fights for all of us. Now, Governor Josh Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis are running for reelection to keep getting stuff done and to keep moving our Commonwealth forward.
Under Josh Shapiro’s leadership, we have invested more in public education than ever before, hired hundreds of new law enforcement officers, created thousands of new jobs, and put money back in people’s pockets.
Now, when children in Pennsylvania go to school, they can get free breakfast and there are more mental health counselors and resources available when they need them. When those students graduate from high school, they have more opportunities to chart their own course – whether in the workforce, through an apprenticeship program, or in college – and their communities are safer and more prosperous.
As Governor, he has made it a priority to represent all Pennsylvanians, traveling to communities all across the Commonwealth and meeting Pennsylvanians from all walks of life.
He previously served as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, and State Representative. From seeing his parents serve others – his father in the Navy and as the local pediatrician and his mother as an educator – to marrying his high-school sweetheart, Lori, and raising four children in the community and traditions they grew up in, to a career fighting for the people of Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro’s life has been grounded in faith, family, and public service.
Through it all, Governor Shapiro continues – as he’s done throughout his career – to take on big fights, bring people together to get stuff done, and defend Pennsylvanians’ rights and freedoms.
Transcript - Simon Rosenberg With Governor Josh Shapiro
Simon Rosenberg:
Hey, welcome everybody. Simon Rosenberg, back with a special event today. Joining me is Governor Josh Shapiro, of Pennsylvania. Welcome Governor. Thanks for being with us today.
Gov. Josh Shapiro:
Great to be with you, Simon. Thanks for having me on.
Simon Rosenberg:
So listen, you know, we have talked to a lot of candidates who are running in this age of Trump 2.0. We talk to legislators in the House and the Senate. You're actually having to govern a major state in this tumultuous time. I wondered if you could talk about what you've done, how you've responded to the tariffs, the cuts in health care, all the things that have been done… ICE, all the things that have been dumped on your lap… how you and your colleagues have responded to Trump 2.0.
Gov. Josh Shapiro:
Yeah. I mean, look, I'm a self-described GSD Democrat — a get-shit-done Democrat. I believe government can be a force for good in people's lives. And so every day I'm working to be able to deliver for them. Good schools for their kids, a safe community, economic opportunity, a community they can afford to live in, protecting their rights and freedoms. And so every day you're battling to deliver that. Sadly, every day now I have to battle a federal administration who's trying to undermine our progress in every one of those areas.
Let me give you a few specifics. First, they cut about $4 billion of monies that were supposed to go to our schools, for environmental protection, for health care, for our cops, firefighters and first responders. I had to sue the Trump administration to get that money back. And by the way, every time I sued, we won. They've come into our state, into some of our historic sites around Independence Hall, and quite literally ripped down signs about slavery, about our actual story of American history. I had to sue them to stop them from whitewashing our history. They're trying to dictate to our hospitals how our doctors here can treat children, what vaccines are going to be available for parents to be able to give to their kids. Someone asked me the other day, Simon, you know, how is this different than the Biden administration? On a bad day with the Biden administration, they just weren't able to help you, but they certainly didn't hurt you.
On a normal day with the Trump administration, they're hurting us. And look at the broader impact they're having — their tariffs have cost every Pennsylvania family $1,700. They're killing our farmers right now. Our farmers have lost market share. They're really, really struggling. And now every time you try and go fill up the tank, it's $4.65 because of this war of choice that Donald Trump chose to get into and has no friggin' idea how to get out of. So they're hurting us every single day, and I'm doing everything in my power to fight back.
Simon Rosenberg:
Well, it is an amazing story about how different it is. It's a challenging time to govern and to lead in any environment, but here you have an administration that's not just hostile to government(s), but it's hostile to their own citizens. And it really has been… we've been talking about this a lot this week in Hopium… about how much damage Trump has really done to the American people themselves, which is part of the reason why his poll numbers are as bad as they are right now.
Gov. Josh Shapiro:
Without question. I think people see it with their own eyes. I mean, just putting this very basically, Donald Trump has made everything cost more. His tariffs have made your grocery prices go up, have made the toys you need to buy for your kids go up, the sporting goods equipment that I buy for our four kids… that costs more because of Donald Trump. The tariffs have really, really hurt families and farmers and small businesses.
At the same time, I've got 153,000 Pennsylvanians who, in the first four months of this year, have lost access to health care because Donald Trump didn't extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies. And starting in January of next year, 310,000 Pennsylvanians are going to lose Medicaid because of that whole "beautiful tax bill" thing that they passed, which really was to give a tax break to those at the top who didn't need it, at the expense of people's health care. And then of course the war has driven up fuel prices, and we just saw inflation at levels that we haven't seen in many, many years. All because of Donald Trump's policies.
People get it, Simon. They understand that they put that guy in charge in Washington, he did a bunch of things, and those things he's done have made things cost more. This is very basic. I want you to understand — here in Pennsylvania, I've cut taxes seven times as governor in the last three years. Brought Republicans and Democrats together, cut taxes seven times… for seniors, for people to afford child care, for working Pennsylvanians, for small businesses. Every time I put a dollar in somebody's pocket, Trump takes two or three out because of his policies. And people understand that the pain they're feeling is because of Donald Trump's policies.
Simon Rosenberg:
Yeah, it is remarkable, given that how focused our party is on making things better for everyday people, and how seemingly unconcerned they are about that. And now in fact, rather than course correcting and doing things that help the American people, they're now actually trying to rig the election in a very illicit and illiberal way. What's your thought on that as somebody who's been in a position of authority and power now for some time in your state? And what we're seeing now… this sort of mad rush to white supremacist gerrymandering in the last few weeks.
Gov. Josh Shapiro:
It's terrible. Look, let's go back to 2020 just for some context on this. I was the Attorney General of Pennsylvania when Donald Trump lost the election here in our Commonwealth by I think it was about 80,000 votes. He sued, and his allies sued me, 43 different times to stop certain Pennsylvanians' votes from being counted. Trump went 0 for 43, I went 43-0, and we had a free and fair, safe and secure election. I know what this guy is capable of, and I know what he will try to do in our courts to thwart the will of the people here in Pennsylvania. Whatever they decide, whoever they vote for — we will respect the will of the people. We are prepared to fight back in court yet again. And as you just heard, I've got a damn good track record on that.
I think what's also scary is that the president has shown his willingness to use the military, to use ICE, to use other federal personnel to wreak havoc on a community. Given what he said in trying to pass that SAVE Act, and then the illegal executive order he signed… I think someone needs to explain to him that the Constitution of the United States trumps some executive order… I believe he will use the failure to get that done in the Congress of the United States as a pretext for trying to disrupt elections in key states like mine.
Here's what I will share with you, Simon. We are prepared for that. Typically a governor or mayor — we do tabletop exercises to deal with, God forbid, fires or floods or shootings, things like that, to try and keep people safe. I want you to stop and think about this for a minute… we are now doing tabletop exercises to protect the public from the President of the United States sending law enforcement into our state to disrupt an election. Just think about where we are in America today… [how] that's what's possible. But that is what we are prepared for. And I want the good people of Pennsylvania to know their vote will be protected. Whatever they choose, whichever candidate they are for — their vote will be counted, and we will respect the will of the people, even when Donald Trump doesn't.
Simon Rosenberg:
Well, grateful to hear about your leadership on the tabletop and preparation. I call it that we're now operating in an evolving and changing battlefield, and that our politics needs to evolve, and our imagination has to grow. I think it's been hard for us sometimes given how much we respect rule of law and democracy, to imagine what it is that [Trump] may do. And these kinds of tabletops, I think, are really critical for helping the collective team around you to start to have a common understanding of what's possible so you can be prepared.
Gov. Josh Shapiro:
Yeah, and look, we'll sit down and someone will say, "Imagine a scenario where Trump does, you know, X, Y, Z," and then we have to prepare for it. There is a moment where I think everyone scratches their head and goes, "This can't be real. This can't possibly happen." And then you realize we're dealing with a guy who has no respect for the rule of law, who believes, and unfortunately because of this Supreme Court, in effect is immune from having to follow the laws of this country. And as he's proving with this redistricting in other states, is willing to rig the damn system to try and give himself some advantage in these U.S. House races. Here in Pennsylvania, by the way, we're going to have a bunch of good old-fashioned elections here. And we've got more competitive congressional races, I believe, than any other state in the country. We've got four of them, and I'm going all in with my time and resources to help win those four races to bring about a Democratic majority in the Congress of the United States so we can finally have a check on this president in Washington.
Simon Rosenberg:
Well, and 2024 was obviously disappointing for us across the country. You had a great election in November 2025. The Supreme Court elections in Pennsylvania went very, very well. And you're up for reelection in this cycle. You've got four races in the House. I should say we've endorsed, so far, two — Janelle Stelson and Paige Cognetti. We've raised $100,000, this community, for each of them. I'm really proud of that. Great candidates, by the way… thank you for sending us such terrific candidates. Talk about how this cycle feels different, what you're doing in your own race, the update on your reelection.
Gov. Josh Shapiro:
Thank you. Look, I am running for reelection together with my outstanding lieutenant governor, Austin Davis. And I think we're in a strong position. But look, I'm kind of neurotic when it comes to this stuff… the polls may show us up 20 points, but I always run like I'm 20 points behind. And that's the way I'm going to go all the way up to November. But I also recognize, as the leader of our party, I've got a responsibility, and this is an important moment to step up and lift up our party. And hopefully be able to have a check on Donald Trump's chaos, cruelty and corruption. The best way to do that is to win the U.S. House races. And as we discussed, we've got four of them.
Two great candidates you cited. Janelle Stelson, running against Scott Perry, who's been the leader of that — whatever they call it — that Freedom coalition that's done a whole bunch of extremist stuff in DC. And Paige Cognetti, our outstanding mayor in Scranton, who is going to take it to Rob Bresnahan. [Bresnahan] seems to spend his days insider trading. So he's got a lot of explaining to do… why he's doing that and not legislating. Both of them are outstanding candidates, and I'm going to be working my tail off to invest millions of dollars in their campaigns, in the infrastructure to run joint campaigns, a coordinated campaign, and to go out and win not just my race, but win for Democrats up and down the ballot. For Congress, for our state legislative races. And to really try and show that this chaos, this cruelty, this corruption that Donald Trump uses to define our politics today — that's not who we are. And that we're going to stand up to that and we're going to defeat it in November.
Simon Rosenberg:
Well, thank you, Governor. Pennsylvania is turning out to be one of the most important states in the whole country this election cycle with four pickup opportunities. We have the primary coming up. And after we get through the primary, Democrats will have their candidates in all four of those races. And I'm hopefully going to expand beyond just the two that we've done so far to be there with you in all four.
Before we go… I've been intrigued that you wrote a book, and you've been on a book tour. I'm bringing it up just because this is a wonderful book. I wondered if you could reflect a little bit, because the book is about your journey, and [here at Hopium] we talk politics, we talk Trump, we talk the elections. Talk a little bit about why you wrote the book and what your big takeaways were from it.
Gov. Josh Shapiro:
I set out to write this book to sort of combat what I would read in the news every day, or what you'd hear in our political discourse, just about the darkness of these times. And look, there's a lot to worry about, and there is a lot of darkness. So much of it brought about by Donald Trump. But in this privilege I have to serve as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania, I get to go out and meet people where they are in their communities.
And they weren't being defined by darkness. They were bringing forth a lot of light. They were solving problems in their communities. They were working together with people they might have differences from, or be registered in different political parties from. I was seeing a lot of light in the communities. And I set out to write a book about that. About halfway through writing that book, my family and I confronted real darkness, when someone broke into the governor's residence while my family and I were asleep — we had just concluded our community Passover Seder — and this person threw Molotov cocktails throughout the home, exploded a large portion of the home, and was running through the governor's residence with a metal hammer looking for me, to try to beat me to death. That was a dark moment. And yet what my family and I experienced from that was a whole lot of light… people from all different faiths, all different walks of life, coming together to pray for us, to lift us up, to strengthen our spirits, and to help us get through this. To help me not just as a governor, but as a dad and a husband work my way through this as well. And so that became part of the stories of darkness and light that exist in our world that I wanted to write about.
On a personal note, I've been in this business for some time, and I've always believed that you need to keep your focus on other people's feelings, other people's emotions, helping other people. That the way I feel about something is sort of less relevant — my emotions are less relevant. And so to write a book where I really opened up about my feelings, where I really opened up about how I was raised and the things that motivate me, that was really different from what I'm used to doing every day. And it was kind of hard to go through that. But at the end of the day, I think it was an important thing to do. It helped me grow as a man, and as a father, as a husband. And I'm grateful that people have taken the time to read it.
People like you and others. When I turned the book in… I guess back in November, or whenever I turned it in… my wife Lori, who I wrote about a lot in the book, our love affair since the ninth grade… Lori looked at me and she goes, "You think anybody's gonna read this?" And so a few months later — she really knows how to put me in my place — a few months later, when it made the New York Times bestseller list, I ripped out the page in the newspaper and held it up in her face and I said, "Somebody actually read the book!" So it's pretty cool, and it was a wonderful experience to go through.
Simon Rosenberg:
Well, your book title, Where We Keep the Light… I just want to read, and I'll end with this, Governor. When I launched Hopium three years ago, a little more than three years ago, here's what I wrote.
I'm calling it Hopium Chronicles because I want this to be a journey guided by hope and optimism, of belief in ourselves, of love of country, and a clear understanding of the nature of the conflict that we're in. I've become convinced that part of the greater MAGA strategy is to intentionally poison our discourse with negative sentiment every day. They want us to feel bad about America….. when they spread lies, we respond with truth. Hopium is a rejection of the darkness they're trying to spread.
Gov. Josh Shapiro: I think that’s beautiful.
Simon Rosenberg:
And this concept of light and dark, and taking responsibility for the sentiment that we put out into the world… it’s something we talk about here quite a bit. It's really important. It's the reason why I felt your book was so appropriate for the Hopium audience. So thank you for sharing that. And listen, thank you for your time.
Gov. Josh Shapiro:
You know, we've known each other on and off for the last two decades. I've always been an admirer of your work. And one of the things that I've admired most is that even in these times of heaviness, of darkness, times that lack nuance, and oftentimes moments that lack hope and big thinking, you're constantly putting forth big ideas, and you're constantly putting forth this notion that we should be hopeful about our fellow man, our fellow woman, our fellow American. I think you do a great job of that. And notwithstanding the political discourse, especially online, I do think people want more hope and I do think they want more optimism and big ideas, and hopefully a little bit more nuance in our conversations nowadays. And you provide that. So I'm grateful that you do that work every day. And I'm hopeful that we'll continue to have conversations like this.
Simon Rosenberg:
Thank you. I know you're a kindred spirit in that regard. And thank you for taking the time to be with us today. Get back to work… I know you've got a lot to do, you're a busy guy. And we appreciate all your time today.
