Josh Shapiro Joins ‘The View’ to Talk Gun Violence, Fracking, and Anti-Semitism

Gov. Josh Shapiro said he believes parents of school shooters should be held accountable for their children’s actions during a speech at View on Friday.

Shapiro’s response came after co-host Sara Haines asked whether the parents of the 14-year-old Apalachee High School shooter should be held accountable for this week’s shooting in Georgia.

After the teen killed four people and was arrested, his father was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder and child abuse in connection with the shooting.

“I’m a former prosecutor, and I believe in being tough when it comes to gun violence,” Shapiro said. “We need to hold this 14-year-old accountable, and we need to hold his parents accountable.”

More broadly, Shapiro discussed steps he’s taking in Pennsylvania to support curb gun violence, including a bill for universal background checks that passed the state House, which has a slim Democratic majority, but is stalled in the Republican-controlled state Senate. Shapiro is a Democrat.

“I think there’s a way to protect our Second Amendment rights and the rich hunting heritage that we have in Pennsylvania, and also make sure that kids can go to school without getting shot,” Shapiro said when asked about gun control in general.

His half-hour appearance in View focused mainly on the presidential race ahead of Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia.

President Donald Trump’s former communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin is now a co-host on the show, and she slammed her former boss. She asked whether Vice President Kamala Harris’ hesitations on issues like fracking could be harmful ahead of Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia. Shapiro praised Harris’ change of heart.

“I think it’s a sign of strength when you evolve in a position,” he said. “It’s clear that Kamala Harris listened to the good people of Pennsylvania when it comes to natural gas.”

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Pennsylvania is the country’s second-largest producer of methane gas extracted through fracking.

Fracking has been a divisive economic and environmental issue, as communities across the state look to the natural gas industry as an economic engine while President Joe Biden has invested in the pristine energy economy, including in Philadelphia. Yet U.S. oil production has continued to grow under Biden.

Shapiro had to answer, once again, whether he believed anti-Semitism played a role in Harris’ decision to select Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate, as Trump has suggested.

“I have been the subject of many attacks by Donald Trump, including many anti-Semitic attacks over the years,” Shapiro said, before reiterating that anti-Semitism had nothing to do with Harris’ selection as vice president.

Shapiro also acknowledged that he has been compared to former President Barack Obama because of his speaking style. Those comparisons were widely shared on social media following Shapiro’s speech at the Democratic National Convention.

“Barack Obama is the greatest speaker I’ve ever seen, so I take that as a compliment,” he said.

To conclude his talk, Shapiro fielded a series of cheeky, rapid-fire questions from co-host Haines:

His expectations for Nov. 5? Harris gets elected. His hopes for Trump after the election? That the former president is “forgotten.” His post-Trump advice for Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance? “Get a better haircut,” Shapiro said.

And his current Taylor Swift era? It’s inspired by his 22-year-old daughter.

“I’m in my Speak now “Era,” Shapiro said, “because I love ‘Never Grow Up.’”