Josh Shapiro weighs in on Elon Musk, Pennsylvania election misinformation

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — Josh Shapiro sits atop perhaps the most important states this election and said he is doing everything he can to ensure Kamala Harris wins in Pennsylvania.

“In every election that I've ever been personally involved in, I want to feel like that night, that Monday night, when I go to bed, that I left everything on the field,” Shapiro told NBC News, as When he was asked if he would do it, I felt on the eve of Election Day that he did everything he could to get Harris elected.

“And at the rate I’m going right now,” he added, “I’m pretty sure I’ll feel the same way.”

Two years after taking office, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania enjoys high approval ratings and was one of the finalists for Harris' vice presidency, not least because of his 15-point landslide victory in the key swing state in 2022. Should become the vice president if elected next month lose, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's choice over Shapiro will be one of the first decisions to be questioned.

Even though he wasn't selected, Shapiro was a sought-after replacement, appearing for Harris in nearly 60 contests since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. He has also worked to advance Democratic candidates in state elections and in key House and Senate seats across the country.

On the policy front, a Shapiro aide said the governor has spoken with Harris and her campaign about eliminating college degree requirements for some federal jobs, similar to a policy Shapiro implemented at the state level in Pennsylvania. Harris announced this political platform during a rally in Wilkes-Barre last month.

Shapiro spoke to NBC News on Thursday for an interview about his fears and preparations for the election, his recent call during a Steelers game with billionaire Elon Musk – arguably former President Donald Trump's biggest supporter – and reported tensions between him and one of the state's senators, Democrat John Fetterman.

Shapiro had just finished a campaign rally at a farm outside Lancaster aimed at bringing Trump-weary Republicans into the Democratic coalition.

What follows is a partial transcript, edited for clarity:

NBC NEWS: When Pennsylvania begins reporting results on election night, where will you look to get a sense of how the state will fare?

SHAPIRO: This is a difficult question to answer because, as you know, the percentage of voters in this state has fallen to 1% or less in the last two elections. So you know a few hundred votes in a rural county can literally make a big difference when you add all that up. I'm not dodging your question, I'm not trying to dodge your question. But I'm not looking at a specific county. I tend to look at the broader spectrum of things.

NBC NEWS: There weren't as many visits in the collar counties surrounding Philadelphia. Some concerns about the Pennsylvania campaign were recently reported in Politico. Democrats are worried about Philadelphia. What do you think of the Harris campaign efforts in these locations?

SHAPIRO: I'm not sure I would agree with the characterization. She was literally there just yesterday. And I think they have, I'm not sure how much, but a really solid schedule [Philly] Burbs in the last 10 days or so. So I think they're putting in the time.

I think the Philadelphia suburbs are critically important. Combined, they are far larger than the city of Philadelphia. No disrespect to Philly. It's a lot of people, and historically it's been communities that have changed. Democrat, Republican, back to Democrat. That's why I think it's important to be there and compete hard there.

NBC NEWS: What preparations are you making for Trump to potentially challenge the vote here, and do you expect him to do so?

SHAPIRO: Well, we are already seeing lawsuits. So of course I expect it to stay that way. And like I said, we're used to it. In 2020, Donald Trump took me to court, and his allies took me to court 43 times. They went 0 for 43. We went 43 and 0, and we had a free and fair, safe pick.

We will have another free and fair, secure election because this election will be conducted by Republican and Democratic election officials across Pennsylvania who are part of my Election Protection Task Force, which is made up of these election officials, attorneys and law enforcement. The chairman is Secretary Al Schmidt, our commonwealth's grand secretary who oversees elections – a Republican, by the way, because we believe that conducting elections should be a nonpartisan activity. And so I expect the lawsuits to come. … But I also expect once again that the will of the people will be respected.

NBC NEWS: Would you accept a role in a potential Kamala Harris administration?

SHAPIRO: I love my job as governor. I think I've made it very clear that I don't want to go anywhere and I'm not going to go anywhere. I will stay here and serve as governor.

NBC NEWS: Did you speak to Elon Musk after that first phone call?

SHAPIRO: NO.

NBC NEWS: Do you think he is serious about investing in Pennsylvania?

SHAPIRO: I do.

NBC NEWS: He obviously plays a big role in getting people here to vote for the former president. What do you think of these efforts? He gives people a million dollars, right? I'm sure you saw the Justice Department letter yesterday. What do you think of all this?

SHAPIRO: Let me be clear in my conversation with him a week or two ago or whatever at the Steelers game that it was 100% economic development. And I always fight hard to get people to invest in Pennsylvania.

We didn't talk about politics. We obviously have completely different views on politics, different decisions and candidates. And that's fine, people can express their opinions and I'm sure he will continue to do so. And I will do that too.

NBC NEWS: Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said recently that Democrats are targeting Elon Musk for his efforts to boost Trump [their] Take your eyes off the ball. He also said Musk is very popular with younger voters, particularly in Pennsylvania. What do you think of his argument?

SHAPIRO: I didn't see his comments, so I'm not sure I can comment on them.

NBC NEWS: Have you and Sen. Fetterman had a conversation recently during the campaign, right before Election Day?

SHAPIRO: We're all working together for Kamala Harris and we're all rowing in the same direction.

NBC NEWS: Was there anything about the electorate this cycle that surprised you, whether it was preferences or a dynamic going on with voters in Pennsylvania or nationally?

SHAPIRO: This is the first presidential election where AI misinformation and disinformation has been able to take hold and really influence some of the feedback I'm hearing from people.

Let me explain what I mean by that. People will see something that is clearly false but being shared on Twitter or on some other social media site, and then it will be repeated to me and I will say to someone, “You know this is wrong. “You are entitled to your opinion about which candidate you like or vote for, but understand that you are not entitled to make up false facts and here's why.” And interestingly, most people agree me: “My goodness, I didn’t know that. Thanks for the clarification.”

Now they may not agree with my advocacy for Kamala Harris, which is fine, I understand that, but I think it's really important to clarify that and make sure that we actually do it and so we just see more there Misinformation and disinformation in the discourse that has broken away from its mere presence on Twitter and has, so to speak, entered the broader dialogue. I think this is really dangerous.

NBC NEWS: Do you think this stuff is specifically AI generated? Or are we talking about the usual misinformation and disinformation that I think we've been used to in recent years, but which is only being amplified?

SHAPIRO: I think it's all of the above. Look, some of the images are AI generated, some of this stuff, there are just people today with much bigger platforms than four years ago who are willing to just lie and make up utter bullshit – and then try to pass it dismiss as truth.

NBC NEWS: You saw some of Trump's comments about Arnold Palmer and saw him say the vice president was a “s—” vice president. You saw him at the event. This is all in Pennsylvania. You saw him at the event in the Philly suburbs where he was on stage listening to music for just 40 minutes. Is he fundamentally a different person than the guy who ran in 2016 or 2020, or is he still the same guy?

SHAPIRO: I think he's a lot more unstable and unpredictable than he was eight years ago. I think it lacks coherence today. And although eight years ago I disagreed with the things he stood for, on the whole he was far more coherent. He's clearly slipping, and I think that's a question that the American people need to ask themselves.

I mean, this isn't just about winning an election, it's about governing for the next four years. And does this guy really have the skills and ability to rule for four more years? I think in this campaign he's showing that he really doesn't.