Former President Donald Trump accused Democrats on Wednesday of passing over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as their vice presidential nominee because he's Jewish. During an interview on "Fox & Friends," Trump called Kamala Harris' choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "insulting" to Jews.
"Everyone thought it was going to be Shapiro, it turned out not to be Shapiro," Trump said. "I have very little doubt that it was, you know, not for the reason we're talking about — it was because of the fact that he's Jewish, and they think they're going to offend somebody else."
MORE: Josh Shapiro proclaims Kamala Harris, Tim Walz are for 'real freedom' in rally speech at Temple
Harris formally introduced Walz as her running mate during a rally Tuesday at Temple University. Shapiro gave Walz a strong endorsement in a speech that attacked Trump's presidency and warned that electing him again would undermine basic tenets of freedom in the U.S.
Shapiro also spoke powerfully in defense of his faith.
"I lean on my family and I lean on my faith, which calls me to serve," he said. "And I am proud of my faith. .... I'm not here to preach at (you), but I want to tell you what my faith teaches me. My faith teaches me that no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it. That means that each of us has a responsibility to get off the sidelines, to get in the game and to do our part."
Multiple reports have surfaced that Shapiro, who was on Harris' shortlist for the VP nomination, felt conflicted about leaving his job as governor and thought his meeting with Harris in Washington on Sunday did not go as well as he had hoped. Concerns had emerged about Shapiro's policy stances, including whether his strong backing of Israel would undermine support among progressive voters.
Other reports suggested the Harris campaign was wary of Shapiro's ambition and that aides of Sen. John Fetterman had warned her that Shapiro would compete for the limelight as vice president.
Trump told Fox & Friends he was "thrilled" with the pick of Walz, which he called a shock.
"There's never been a ticket like this. This is a ticket that would want this country to go communist immediately, if not sooner," Trump said. "We want no security, we want no anything. He's very heavy into transgender — anything transgender he thinks is great – and he's not where the country is on anything."
Trump also claimed that he intervened on behalf of Walz when his supporters gathered outside the Minnesota governor's mansion in 2020 amid protests over the police killing of George Floyd. Similar protests had taken place concerning the state's stay-at-home orders during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump indicated that a central part of his attacks on Walz will be highlighting the civil unrest in Minneapolis during that time.
"I put out the word, I said: 'He's a good person, I hope everything's good,'" Trump said. "And everybody put down their flags and took their flags with them, but they took their American flags and their MAGA flags and they left."
Shapiro has been more outspoken about combating antisemitism in the U.S. since the Hamas attacks on Israel last October and Israel's bombardment of Gaza. When pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside restaurateur Michael Solomonov's Israeli falafel shop, Goldie, in December, Shapiro said the choice of venue was blatantly antisemitic.
As attorney general, Shapiro joined Republican Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity in calling to oppose ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's refusal to license its products for sale in East Jerusalem and Israeli communities on the West Bank. Shapiro condemned movements to boycott, divest or sanction Israel and pointed to a state law that bars contracts with companies that take such actions.
"BDS is rooted in antisemitism," Shapiro said at the time three years ago. "The stated goal of this amorphous movement is the removal of Jewish citizens from the region and I strongly oppose their efforts."
Amid calls this year for a ceasefire in Gaza, Shapiro faced criticism for amending his office's code of conduct to bar state employees from engaging in "scandalous or disgraceful" behavior — a move interpreted to be targeting free speech regarding the war.
Shapiro also backed the decision by University of Pennsylvania administrators, who had been mired in accusations of campus antisemitism for months, to disband a protest encampment at the Ivy League school. Weeks earlier, he had told CNN's Jake Tapper that similar protests wouldn't be condoned in the name of free speech if they were organized by white supremacists, particularly if the demonstrations violated university policies.
Those opposed to Shapiro being picked as Harris' running mate included the activist group No Genocide Josh, whose messaging prompted complaints from Jewish leaders that the intense scrutiny of Shapiro has been tinged with antisemitism. Many pointed out that Shapiro's stances are largely similar to those held by other liberal Democrats — including Walz, whose more nuanced views on the war in Gaza have made his supporters hopeful he and Harris would take a different approach.
"Josh's position on Israel is almost identical to everybody else, but he's being held to a different standard," Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) told The Hill this week before Harris chose Walz. "So you have to ask yourself why."
Apart from his positions on Israel, Shapiro's critics argued that his policies on education, the environment and corporate welfare also detracted from his viability as a vice presidential candidate.
Despite not being picked to run alongside Harris, Shapiro said Tuesday that November's election presents Americans with a stark choice about preserving freedom or reverting to the "chaos" of another Trump administration.
"We are not going back ... not only are we not going back, we are not going into the future with Donald Trump," Shapiro said.