Headline Roundup • December 29th, 2025
Govs. Shapiro, Cox Discuss Political Violence
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Republican Gov. of Utah Spencer Cox and Democratic Gov. of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro sat down together at Washington National Cathedral on December 9th to talk about civility, dialogue, polarization, and political violence.
The Details: Both Cox and Shapiro have had encounters with political violence. Charlie Kirk's assassination in September took place under Cox's governorship, and Shapiro was the target of an arson attack on his house in April. Shapiro was also governor during the assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year. Cox said Shapiro was the first to call him after Kirk's assassination.
Key Quotes: Shapiro said, "We need to begin by saying that all leaders must condemn all political violence, not cherry-pick which violence to condemn and which violence to accept," adding, "Leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity and call it out wherever they see it, exactly the way Spencer Cox does," and "We have a president of the United States right now that fails that test on a daily basis."
How The Media Covered It: Media across the spectrum noted that Cox and Shapiro disagreed about supporting a social media ban for those under age 16; Cox said he would support it, while Shapiro pushed back.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Spencer Cox of Utah decried the state of the political discourse in the country and talked of leaning on each other after high-profile cases of political violence in a wide-ranging interview with "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday.
Both have been at the forefront of handling political crises in their states.
Commonwealth Media Services
Intense polarization and the alarming rise of partisan political violence has left many Americans wondering about the nation's trajectory.
That's why Gov. Josh Shapiro and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox joined journalist Savannah Guthrie for a discussion on the topic at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Tuesday evening.
Cox said the two made each other's acquaintance within the National Governors Association. He found support from Shapiro in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination in Utah. The Pennsylvania governor, the victim of arson and an assassination attempt in April, has been...
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) urged the country to "act with moral clarity" and "lay down your swords" as the two men warned of increasing political violence across the country.
"We — a Republican and a Democrat, a Mormon, a Jew — we need you now more than ever," Cox pleaded at a bipartisan event held at the Washington National Cathedral and moderated by NBC News's Savannah Guthrie.
