In an eagerly anticipated memoir, a potential Democratic contender for the 2028 presidential race shares unexpected counsel from former President Donald Trump after a personal crisis. In his book, ‘Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service,’ Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recounts receiving a phone call from Trump following an arson attack on his home. The former president left a voicemail, sharing his personal cell phone number and encouraging Shapiro to reach out whenever needed. The memoir touches on this interaction against the backdrop of a near-death experience Trump had in Pennsylvania during a campaign rally, where he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by Thomas Crooks, who grazed his ear with a bullet.

Reports indicate that Shapiro describes a phone call with Trump, during which the former president spoke at length about his economic achievements and gas prices. The discussion shifted towards politics, with Trump speculating about the Democratic presidential hopefuls for 2028, though Shapiro does not disclose any names mentioned. According to the Washington Post, Trump praised Shapiro’s communication skills and his approach to problem-solving. However, he also warned Shapiro about the perils of the presidency, advising him against aspiring to the role due to its increasing dangers.

Trump has faced two assassination attempts in 2024; the first occurred in Butler and the second at his Florida golf course. In 2025, Ryan Wesley Routh was convicted for plotting to assassinate Trump through a sniper attack at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, as reported by the Department of Justice. Thomas Crooks, who attempted to assassinate Trump, was fatally shot by law enforcement. Meanwhile, Governor Shapiro finds himself in a particularly precarious position, given his Jewish heritage, which has been a point of contention and discussion among both supporters and critics.

In the forthcoming book, Shapiro also writes that former Vice President Harris’s team asked him if he had ever ‘been a double agent for Israel.’ The timing of the question may have even been more offensive than the premise. Many leftists had been worried that Shapiro was too pro-Israel and Democrats were concerned his nomination would re-spark controversial conversations about Gaza and would ultimately hurt Harris’ campaign. The former vice president addressed some of these concerns in her own memoir, 107 Days, which was released last year. She alluded to ‘the attacks [Shapiro had] confronted on Gaza and what effect it might have on the enthusiasm we were trying to build.’

Yet she also noted that Shapiro had been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. CNN reported later Monday that the Harris campaign had also probed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’ ties to China, indicating that her team’s questions about foreign ties weren’t focused solely on Shapiro. Harris ultimately chose Walz over Shapiro, even as Shapiro was considered to be the favorite to become Harris’ No. 2. What really seemed to motivate Harris to pick Walz over Shapiro was ‘a nagging concern that [Shapiro] would be unable to settle for a role as number two and that it would wear on our partnership,’ according to her memoir.

In her memoir she described the Pennsylvania governor as someone who was ‘peppering’ her and her staff with questions about the details of the jobs, including details on the vice president’s residence at the Naval Observatory. In his book Shapiro also shared that his own family did not want him to run nationwide at the time, and that his son said he didn’t seem to want to do it. But Shapiro’s book is now seen as the first step toward his own campaign in 2028, assuming that he’s re-elected to a second term in Pennsylvania in 2026.