‘I was honest with him’: Josh Shapiro recalls meeting Joe Biden; delivered ‘bad news’ to then-president

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro (File photo/AP)

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro has recalled how he once tried to deliver “bad news” to then-President and fellow Democrat Joe Biden ahead of last year’s election — well before Biden decided not to seek a second term.“I went directly to the president and spoke to him about what I saw were his challenges in Pennsylvania. I was really honest with him,” Shapiro said in an interview with The Breakfast Club, as reported by Fox News.He recalled meeting Biden at a coffee shop in Harrisburg. “He said, ‘How’s it going?’” Shapiro recounted. “I was very clear — polls were showing it wasn’t going well. I told him I didn’t think he was handling the cost issue properly. Rising costs were a major concern in the campaign, especially in Pennsylvania.” The 52-year-old governor added that he also told Biden that many voters “didn’t think he was up to the job.”“Look, maybe it’s old school, but I believe that if you got something to say, you say it directly to that person’s face, and he’s the president of the United States. I respected him, still respect him, and I respect him enough to say it directly to his face,” the Missouri-born leader remarked.Asked how his feedback was received, Shapiro replied, “I think he heard it. He told me that their poll numbers were different, and he seemed committed to continuing forward.”Biden had faced mounting pressure to step aside following a poor showing in a June 2024 presidential debate against Republican rival Donald Trump, a rematch of the 2020 contest. After resisting calls for about a month, the Democrat ultimately announced he would not seek re-election.Then-Vice President Kamala Harris was later chosen as Trump’s Democratic challenger for the November election and had considered Shapiro as her running mate, before ultimately selecting Minnesota governor Tim Walz. The Democratic ticket was defeated by the Republican team of Trump—who won a second term after losing the 2020 election as the sitting president—and JD Vance. Trump carried all seven key swing states, including Pennsylvania.