'Condemn political violence, no matter where it is,' says Gov. Shapiro on 'Meet the Press'

In an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Sunday, Gov. Josh Shapiro called on the nation “to universally condemn political violence, no matter where it is, whether it’s against Charlie Kirk or someone else. ”

NBC’s Kristen Welker asked Shapiro to speak on the arson attempt at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence in April. Shapiro emphasized the collaborative efforts of the Pennsylvanians in the aftermath.

“I think this political violence leaves scars, I can tell you that I’ve battled [emotional scars] since the attack.

“We could have very easily, at that moment, as a commonwealth, slipped into a dark place. Instead, what I saw was a whole lot of light, a whole lot of people from all different walks of life, all different faiths, all different backgrounds, all different parties coming together to not just support me and my family, but to support our commonwealth.”

Josh Shapiro: Political violence ‘leaves scars’ https://t.co/K0jCoCg2Yh

— POLITICO (@politico) September 21, 2025

Shapiro highlighted the need for caution and attention regarding the recent uptick in politically divisive discourse and attacks across the nation, referencing the Kirk assassination and killing of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in June.

“I think we’re at an inflection point as a nation, and I think we can go in a number of different ways. I hope we go the direction of healing, of bringing people together, of trying to find our commonalities, not just focus on our differences,” Shapiro told Welker.

Charlie Kirk’s death

On the question of the legacy Kirk left behind, Shapiro emphasized the importance of civil discourse.

“We’re allowed to disagree in this country. In fact, disagreements, when done constructively, is what helps perfect our union. We’ve got to universally condemn political violence, no matter where it is, whether it’s against Charlie Kirk or someone else, it is not OK. We all have to work together to condemn it.”

Jimmy Kimmel reaction

Shapiro said he felt fear and worry for the country after learning of ABC’s decison to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the air last week, in response to Kimmel’s comments on the aftermath of Kirk’s death.

“Our foundational principle in this country, is about freedom of expression and freedom of speech, Whether you agreed with Jimmy Kimmel or not, whether you found him funny or not — to fire someone because he told a joke, that is dangerous, when we are selectively firing people because of their viewpoints.”

Shapiro nodded to the Kimmel firing as a symptom of a deeper issue of federal overreach and the impact of journalists’ growing fear of offending federal regulators.

Trump’s impact

Shapiro spoke at length on censorship from Republican Party and what he saw as the erosion of fundamental pillars of free speech.

This President is eroding our freedom of speech — enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution.

We are less safe and less free because of it. https://t.co/vxEjHw34AG

— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) September 21, 2025

“I think we’re at a really dangerous moment here, and what we’re seeing from the federal government only serves to further divide us and make us less safe and erode our fundamental freedoms here in this country.”

“A Republican Party led by Donald Trump — who loved for decades to cloak themselves in this blanket of patriotism and freedom. Heck, Donald Trump was talking about free speech in his Inaugural Address. What was that? Seven or eight months ago. And now, to see how quickly they are eroding on the foundational guideposts of our nation? Should scare everyone — whether you agree with the president or not, whether you voted for him or not — we are all less safe and less free because of the actions of this administration.”