Politics
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro shares details of his Elon Musk call

Politics tamfitronics

PHILIPSBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday that he spoke with tech mogul Elon Musk on Sunday — but said politics never came up.

NBC News reported Tuesday that Musk called Shapiro while he was at the Pittsburgh Steelers-Dallas Cowboys game in Pittsburgh over the weekend. The two were connected by Thomas Tull, a Hollywood producer-turned-investor, in whose box Musk was sitting.

“​​Thomas and Elon were at the Steelers game together and called me about some ideas that Elon Musk has in investing in Pennsylvania, creating jobs and economic opportunity, and I was pleased to hear about it,” Shapiro said after an event in Centre County promoting Pennsylvania State Parks.

Musk, a Trump supporter who is pouring money into a pro-Trump super PAC he formed called America PAC, is on opposite sides of the political spectrum from Shapiro, a prominent backer of Vice President Kamala Harris who was once considered to be on a short list to be her running mate.

Shapiro acknowledged the political rift between him and Musk, saying, “We obviously didn’t talk about politics” on Sunday’s call.

“We focused on what I try and do every single day, which is bringing jobs and economic opportunity and growth to Pennsylvania. And I want to see more investment, especially in southwestern Pennsylvania,” he added.

Pressed about whether he has any concerns about Musk’s history of anti-union comments, Shapiro said he thinks “the union way of life is critically important. They helped build our middle class and they strengthen Pennsylvania, so I’m going to continue to stand with our unions.”

In August, after a two-hour public conversation on X between Trump and Musk, the United Auto Workers union filed federal labor charges against both men for comments they made on the platform about firing workers who threaten to strike.

The National Labor Relations Board has also twice found that Tesla violated labor laws, once in 2018, when Musk questioned in a tweet why Tesla workers would want to pay union dues, and once in 2021, when the company fired a union activist.

The call between Musk and Shapiro came less than 30 days before Election Day, as both presidential campaigns are ramping up their efforts in battleground Pennsylvania, which could be crucial to either candidate’s path to victory. Musk himself is set to campaign in the state on behalf of Trump, a fact Trump highlighted at a rally Wednesday in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he called Musk “fantastic.”

“He’s going to do a lot. He’s going to be involved,” Trump told supporters. “You know, he’s in Pennsylvania now campaigning, Elon Musk, because he feels so strongly.”

Shapiro has been barnstorming the state for Harris, while Musk attended a rally with Trump over the weekend in Butler, a city north of Pittsburgh that was the site of an attempt to assassinate Trump on July 13.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X and SpaceX, has ties to the state since he attended the University of Pennsylvania. He formally endorsed Trump after the shooting in Butler.

Musk is “sort of a reclusive kind of a guy. He’s incredible. He’s a total genius,” Trump told supporters in Scranton on Wednesday. “We have to take care of our geniuses.”

Lauren Mike

Lauren Mayk covers politics for NBC 10 (WCAU), reporting throughout the Philadelphia region. She also hosts the Battleground Politics podcast.

Alexandra Marquez

Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC News.

News
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro shares details of his Elon Musk call

Politics tamfitronics

PHILIPSBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro confirmed to NBC News on Wednesday that he spoke with tech mogul Elon Musk on Sunday — but said politics never came up.

NBC News reported Tuesday that Musk called Shapiro while he was at the Pittsburgh Steelers-Dallas Cowboys game in Pittsburgh over the weekend. The two were connected by Thomas Tull, a Hollywood producer-turned-investor, in whose box Musk was sitting.

“​​Thomas and Elon were at the Steelers game together and called me about some ideas that Elon Musk has in investing in Pennsylvania, creating jobs and economic opportunity, and I was pleased to hear about it,” Shapiro said after an event in Centre County promoting Pennsylvania State Parks.

Musk, a Trump supporter who is pouring money into a pro-Trump super PAC he formed called America PAC, is on opposite sides of the political spectrum from Shapiro, a prominent backer of Vice President Kamala Harris who was once considered to be on a short list to be her running mate.

Shapiro acknowledged the political rift between him and Musk, saying, “We obviously didn’t talk about politics” on Sunday’s call.

“We focused on what I try and do every single day, which is bringing jobs and economic opportunity and growth to Pennsylvania. And I want to see more investment, especially in southwestern Pennsylvania,” he added.

Pressed about whether he has any concerns about Musk’s history of anti-union comments, Shapiro said he thinks “the union way of life is critically important. They helped build our middle class and they strengthen Pennsylvania, so I’m going to continue to stand with our unions.”

In August, after a two-hour public conversation on X between Trump and Musk, the United Auto Workers union filed federal labor charges against both men for comments they made on the platform about firing workers who threaten to strike.

The National Labor Relations Board has also twice found that Tesla violated labor laws, once in 2018, when Musk questioned in a tweet why Tesla workers would want to pay union dues, and once in 2021, when the company fired a union activist.

The call between Musk and Shapiro came less than 30 days before Election Day, as both presidential campaigns are ramping up their efforts in battleground Pennsylvania, which could be crucial to either candidate’s path to victory. Musk himself is set to campaign in the state on behalf of Trump, a fact Trump highlighted at a rally Wednesday in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he called Musk “fantastic.”

“He’s going to do a lot. He’s going to be involved,” Trump told supporters. “You know, he’s in Pennsylvania now campaigning, Elon Musk, because he feels so strongly.”

Shapiro has been barnstorming the state for Harris, while Musk attended a rally with Trump over the weekend in Butler, a city north of Pittsburgh that was the site of an attempt to assassinate Trump on July 13.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X and SpaceX, has ties to the state since he attended the University of Pennsylvania. He formally endorsed Trump after the shooting in Butler.

Musk is “sort of a reclusive kind of a guy. He’s incredible. He’s a total genius,” Trump told supporters in Scranton on Wednesday. “We have to take care of our geniuses.”

Lauren Mike

Lauren Mayk covers politics for NBC 10 (WCAU), reporting throughout the Philadelphia region. She also hosts the Battleground Politics podcast.

Alexandra Marquez

Alexandra Marquez is a politics reporter for NBC News.

Politics
Josh Shapiro Delivers Brutal Dig on J.D. Vance: Trump Has ‘Buyer’s Remorse’

Politics tamfitronics

Put on the spot at a press conference, the Pennsylvania governor didn’t mince his words when describing the Republican VP-hopeful.

Politics tamfitronics Josh Fiallo

Politics tamfitronics Josh Shapiro raises his index finger while speaking at an event.

Bastiaan Slabbers/Reuters

Josh Shapiro gave a scathing review of JD Vance’s standing in Republican politics on Friday, calling the VP-hopeful a “total phony baloney” who “doesn’t know what he believes.”

The snarky response came during a press conference after a reporter told Shapiro that Vance had attacked him by claiming his speeches sounded like an “impression of a really bad Barack Obama.”

“Barack Obama is probably our most gifted orator of my time, so it’s kind of a weird insult, I guess,” Shapiro began.

The Pennsylvania Governor, who’s reportedly on Kamala Harris’ vice president shortlist, got more pointed in his comments from there.

“I’ll say this about J.D. Vance,” Shapiro added. “It is real hard being honest with the American people when you’re not being honest with yourself. J.D. Vance is a total phony baloney. He is the most inorganic candidate I think I have ever seen on the national stage. He doesn’t know what he believes, and that is why it’s impossible for him to articulate a coherent message to the American people—because he doesn’t believe it.”

Vance has been criticized for flip-flopping on his policy stances and on his support of Donald Trumpwhom he compared to Adolf Hitler in 2016.

Shapiro’s attack on Vance didn’t stop there, however. He continued, “This guy is not exactly off to a good start and it’s clear that Donald Trump really has buyer’s remorse with his pick.”

Before moving on, Shapiro challenged Vance to keep coming after him, saying, “If he wants to sling insults in my direction, which I’m not even sure is an insult, let him do it… Bring it on. I’ll be ready for whatever the hell J.D. Vance throws my direction.”

Politics tamfitronics J.D. Vance speaks on stage during a campaign event

J.D. Vance was announced as Donald Trump’s VP pick less than a week before Joe Biden bowed out of the 2024 race.

Go Nakamura/Reuters

That last line felt like a clear message to Harris that, should she call on Shapiro to join the presidential ticket, he’s more than ready to do battle with Vance in a VP debate and beyond.

Shapiro is considered one of Harris’ leading candidates for the gig, along with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Harris is expected to officially announce her pick early next week, but, if history repeats itself, her choice will likely leak some time before the official announcement.