In an upcoming memoir, a potential contender for the 2028 Democratic presidential race shares insights into a conversation he had with former President Donald Trump after experiencing a personal tragedy last year.

In “Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service,” Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, recounts how Trump reached out to him following an arson attack on his home. The former president left a voicemail, offering his personal cell phone number and encouraging Shapiro to call him whenever needed.

Interestingly, this interaction occurred not long after Trump survived a life-threatening incident at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. During the event, held hours before the 2024 Republican National Convention, Trump was shot at by a gunman named Thomas Crooks, narrowly escaping with a graze to his ear.

While Trump does not play a central role in Shapiro’s memoir, this significant exchange between the two figures is highlighted.

As reported by various sources, Shapiro details how, upon returning Trump’s call, the former president took the opportunity to boast about his administration’s achievements, particularly regarding the economy and gas prices.

The discussion eventually veered into the realm of politics, with Trump speculating on who might vie for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. However, Shapiro does not disclose any specific names mentioned by Trump, according to the Washington Post.

The Post reports Trump complimented Shapiro on how ‘he talked to people and approached problems’ while warning him that he ‘shouldn’t want to be president given how dangerous it had become to hold the office.’

Trump has survived two assassination attempts in 2024 – one in Butler and another at his Florida golf course.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the end of the war in Afghanistan in the State Dining Room at the White House on August 31, 2021 in Washington, DC

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro visit the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024

Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during a campaign rally at the Reno Events Center on October 31, 2024 in Reno, Nevada

Ryan Wesley Routh was convicted in 2025 of attempting to assassinate Trump ‘in a planned sniper attack at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida,’ according to the Department of Justice. Crooks was killed by law enforcement after trying to assassinate the then-candidate.

Shapiro, meanwhile, is in an extra vulnerable position due to his Jewish faith, something that has been made an issue by both his friends and his foes.

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.

Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro will release his memoir Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service later this month on the 27th of January

US President Donald Trump whispers to a White House staffer as he makes his way to board Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on September 26, 2020

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.