Gov Josh Shapiro says Trump was 'very gracious' in phone call after arson attack on Harrisburg residence

In the wake of the arson attack on the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion during Passover in April, Governor Josh Shapiro revealed that President Donald Trump called to check up on him and his family. He described the president as "very gracious" during the conversation.

Speaking with reporters at the state’s annual Easter Egg Hunt at the governor’s residence, Shapiro said, "I appreciated that the president called me. I actually didn’t take his call because it came from his cellphone and I didn’t have that number in my phone, so I didn’t know who it was. As soon as I heard his message, I called him right back," per Fox News.

He said that they spoke for around 15 minutes over the phone during the conversation that spanned a wide range of topics. "He was very gracious. He asked how Lori and the kids were doing. [We] talked for a couple of minutes about what transpired at the residence, and then we talked for maybe the next 15 minutes or so about a whole host of other topics."

"Obviously, I’m not going to get into our private conversation, but he’s attuned to the issues that are important to me. I, of course, know the issues that are important to him, and we agreed to stay in touch going forward."

38-year-old Cody Balmer has been charged with terrorism, attempted murder, and aggravated arson in connection with the fire at Shapiro’s residence was set as he and his family were sleeping. Balmer has posted in support of BLM, mocked Christians, and identified himself as a socialist.

The morning after the fire, Shapiro wrote, "Last night at about 2AM, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg. The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was on the scene and while they worked to put out the fire, we were evacuated from the Residence safely by Pennsylvania State Police and assisted by Capitol Police. Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished."

Police said the fire caused a “significant amount of damage" to the building. The governor’s family had been sleeping in another part of the house, away from where the fire began.