Trump calls arson suspect in Shapiro home fire a ‘whack job’

Trump calls arson suspect in Shapiro home fire a ‘whack job’  at george magazine

President Donald Trump denounced the alleged arsonist who set fire to Gov. Josh Shapiro‘s (D-PA) Pennsylvania governor’s mansion on Sunday as a “wack job” in his first public remarks on the incident.

The president said a motive had not been attributed to the attack against the governor when a Washington Examiner reporter questioned him.

“But the attacker was not a fan of Trump. I understand just from what I read and from what I’ve been told,” Trump told reporters Monday in the Oval Office. “The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody. It’s probably just a wack job. And certainly, a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”

Shapiro said he and his family were woken up early Sunday morning to banging from the Pennsylvania State Police after the fire was set.

“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,” Shapiro wrote on X. “Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished.”

Cody Balmer, the 38-year-old man who allegedly set fire to the mansion, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, terrorism, and other charges. Balmer allegedly planned to beat Shapiro with a sledgehammer if he had encountered him.

“Balmer admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro,” a police affidavit said.

Elected officials offered Shapiro, a Jewish lawmaker who was celebrating Passover, condolences after the violent incident was brought to light.

“Thanks be to God that Governor Shapiro and his family were unharmed in this attack,” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X Sunday. “Really disgusting violence, and I hope whoever did it is brought swiftly to justice.”

“I am deeply relieved that Governor Shapiro and his family are safe, thankful for the first responders who arrived on the scene, and applaud the police work that resulted in an arrest just hours ago,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X.

“I am saddened and deeply disturbed to learn about the arson attack on @GovernorShapiro‘s residence in Harrisburg,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who is also Jewish, wrote on X. “I am praying for him and for his family’s safety, and I am grateful to the law enforcement and first responders who acted quickly to bring them to safety.”

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“My thoughts and prayers are with Governor Josh Shapiro and his family following the horrific arson attack on their residence,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in a statement. “Political violence of any kind is never acceptable and it is especially unconscionable to attack a Jewish family during the first night of Passover. Everyone responsible must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Trump spent Monday morning in the Oval Office meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who declined to return a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration.

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