Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro share experience in dealing with political violence.
They appeared together Tuesday at the Washington National Cathedral to discuss how to move forward after recent events in each of their states left them wanting to bring the country together, rather than focusing on what drives it apart.
They also sat for a joint interview with CNN that aired Wednesday, in which the pair looked to the future, and also spoke about who would make a good next president.
Here are some key takeaways from the sit-down interview:
Bringing down the temperature
The relationship between the two governors was strengthened by their connection in the aftermath of political violence.
In April, an arsonist used Molotov cocktails to set the Pennsylvania Governor’s Mansion on fire, causing Shapiro and his family to be evacuated. Last year, the attempted assassination on then-candidate Donald Trump took place in Shapiro’s state. Knowing what that experience was like is what prompted Shapiro to call Cox when Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in September.
Cox said the discussion Tuesday was an opportunity for two people of different ideologies, and different faiths, to come together to “work on problems, to solve things” and to “show Americans there’s a better way to do this.”
It’s a continuation of Cox’s “Disagree Better” agenda, and Shapiro said it wasn’t until Kirk’s death that he knew he needed to be a part of it.
“The antidote to the violence that we are seeing is for the American people to see that there are leaders who are able to disagree, but disagree in a constructive way,” Shapiro said. “Hopefully they can see this conversation we’re having, and be inspired to take down the rhetoric and take up the engagement in our democracy.”
On Trump
CNN’s Dana Bash asked the governors about their efforts to bring down the temperature in American politics and find common ground. She noted that while they were hosting their discussion, President Donald Trump was speaking in Shapiro’s state, where he continued his criticism of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and was met with “Send her back” chants from the audience.
Cox said he disagrees with a lot of Omar’s views and thinks she should be voted out of office.
“I think I can do that without attacking her religion or her race or her ethnic background. I think that that’s really important,” Cox said. “I know the president disagrees with me. He and I have had these conversations.”
Cox said that in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, Trump spoke to the governor about nonviolence.
“I understand he’s not interested in uniting the country, and he would tell you that, I think, if he were sitting right here with us tonight,” he said.
Cox argued that Trump alone, or he and Shapiro, are not going to fix the political temperament of America. However, the American people have chosen through their votes who represents them and are a mirror.
“It really has to be all of us,” he said. “The politicians that we elect are a reflection of we the people.”
2028 and beyond
Bash asked Cox whether he thought the Democrat sitting next to him would make a good president, and while he didn’t confirm he’d vote for the 2028 hopeful, Cox spoke positively about Shapiro.
Cox and Shapiro traded compliments throughout the interview, over their respective handling of political violence in their states, of their efforts to grow their states’ economies, and for their shared desire to heal the nation.
“Do you think he’d make a good president?” Bash asked Cox about Shapiro, who is rumored to make a bid for president in the next election.
“Yes, I do,” Cox replied. “I have to tell you, I think I’m very biased towards governors. I think governors make the best presidents … as governors, we actually have to accomplish stuff.”
“I also want to say I really hope a Republican wins, I just need to point that out. But if a Republican is not going to win, I surely hope it’s a Democrat who can get stuff done,” Cox added.
Shapiro chimed in to say he believes the country needs more moral clarity and strong leaders, and will be in need of “a lot of healing” after Trump’s second term.
“And I think a guy like Spencer Cox can provide that kind of healing and that moral clarity our country needs wherever he chooses to go next,” he said.