Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke to workers at a West Philadelphia barbershop on Thursday, commenting on Sixers player Paul George’s knee injury and gossiping in a group chat and criticizing one of the barbers at Philly Cuts for daring to cut the hair of Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum.
“Love thy neighbor – except the Celts and Cowboys,” the governor joked.
But after a conversation at the hairdresser and a discussion about Shapiro’s efforts accelerate licensing deadlines for local businesses, the reason for the governor’s visit to the store — Darryl Thomas, owner of Philly Cuts, told Shapiro he had a tough question.
“What can you tell this community that the state will do to protect us from this guy?” Thomas asked Shapiro, referring to President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The company owner referred to his claims concerns about cuts to SNAP, Medicare and Medicaid, and deportation efforts.
Shapiro — sitting in a barber’s chair at a Black-owned business, surrounded by posters of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, former President Barack Obama and, of course, the Philadelphia Eagles — said he wasn’t afraid to take on Trump.
“I am aware that the people of Pennsylvania elected Donald Trump,” Shapiro said. “I am also aware that they chose me two years ago. “I think we have to respect their choices, but I would also say I have a job to do to make sure people’s rights are protected and their needs are met.”
It’s a familiar attitude from Shapiro. As Pennsylvania’s attorney general during Trump’s first term, he was often at odds with the administration, suing several times along with other Democratic governors and gaining national attention fighting Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
But Shapiro, who has built a national name for himself as a moderate Democrat looking to reach all voters, mentioned working with Republican Dave McCormick in Congress. On Thursday evening, after a recount in Pennsylvania’s tight U.S. Senate race, incumbent Bob Casey conceded and congratulated McCormick, formally ending his re-election bid.
“We have a nice, cordial relationship,” Shapiro said of McCormick. “If this is the person that the good people of Pennsylvania have elected, of course we will work together to provide resources to our Commonwealth, to protect the rights and interests of our Commonwealth, and I trust that we will work together really well.”
But Shapiro also said he shared concerns with Thomas about a second Trump presidency, stating he was “very afraid” that the novel administration would make cuts to federal safety nets like food stamps and Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act. Shapiro said his administration is evaluating how the state can continue to provide such services in Pennsylvania if they are restricted by the federal government.
“These are programs that some of our people, quite a large portion of our people, rely on to exist and survive and eat,” said Thomas, the hair salon owner. “So Philly Cuts is in the trenches and feeling the pulse of the people, which worries us.”
Asked by The Inquirer whether he was concerned about Trump’s selection of celebrity physician and former Pennsylvania GOP candidate Mehmet Oz to oversee the federal department responsible for Medicare and Medicaid, Shapiro emphasized his focus on protecting Pennsylvanians’ support systems. Governor said he would be watching Trump and his cabinet members who oversee health care “very closely.”
Asked about transgender rights, a focus of Republican lawmakers and the Trump campaign in 2024, Shapiro reiterated that he would ensure “the rights of Pennsylvanians are protected in all areas.” The same attitude, he said, applies to immigrants in the state.
“I am aware that the president-elect will try to attack our immigrant communities, and that is something we think about a lot given his power compared to the power that the governor has in this conversation,” Shapiro said.
Speaking to local salon owners, barbershop workers and haircutting customers, Shapiro couldn’t avoid asking about the fate of SEPTA, which narrowly avoided a strike this week but still faces a fiscal crisis. He exercised restraint, but assured that he would not allow the agency to collapse.
“I will have more to say about this soon,” he told reporters Thursday afternoon.
The visit to Philly Cuts marked the return of Shapiro, who previously cut hair at the Black-owned business two years ago when he ran for governor. Last month, Vice President Kamala Harris made a campaign appearance at the same barbershop.
Speaking to the audience at the barbershop, Shapiro also offered his administration assistance on a variety of issues, from helping businesses learn how to insure themselves to contacting someone having trouble paying claims, and asked for ideas on how to improve government services. Shapiro received high praise from the Philly Cuts group, who called him a man of his word. Thomas, the store owner, said the renewal of his barbershop management license was approved in one day instead of two weeks, applauding Shapiro’s efforts to speed up the process.
When one of the salon owners told Shapiro that she was now afraid of living in a red state, he replied with a smile: “You’ve got me, I’m fine.”
