Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a prominent Democrat who was targeted in an arson attack in April, on Tuesday delivered his most extensive remarks to date denouncing political violence in America and warning against “selective condemnation” from leaders including President Trump.
In a speech in Pittsburgh and at a news conference afterward, Mr. Shapiro spoke in personal terms about the far-reaching consequences of political violence, and argued that Mr. Trump’s highly partisan response to the recent assassination of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was further inflaming tensions in a deeply divided nation.
“ I don’t care if it’s coming from the left or the right: We need to be universal in our condemnation,” Mr. Shapiro said at a news conference after addressing a gathering of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit. “The president has once again failed that leadership test, failed the morality test, and it makes us all less safe.”
Five months ago, an arsonist set the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion ablaze as Mr. Shapiro and his family slept, just hours after the governor hosted a Passover Seder in the state dining room. Since then, there have been several other high-profile instances of political violence, including the assassination of Melissa Hortman, the Democratic Minnesota lawmaker who was gunned down along with her husband in their home, and the shooting last week of Mr. Kirk.
While both Republicans and Democrats have faced threats and violence, Mr. Trump, who himself has survived assassination attempts, and his allies have focused on condemning only one side.
In the days since the Kirk shooting, Mr. Trump has blamed what he calls the “radical left” for much of the political violence in the country while denying or appearing to excuse violence from the right wing or his supporters, such as the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. Trump granted blanket clemency to around 1,600 rioters, some of them violent.
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The post Shapiro, Denouncing Political Violence, Warns Trump Is Inflaming Tensions appeared first on New York Times.
