President Trump Weighs in on Arson Attack Against Governor Shapiro’s Residence
In a recent statement, former President Donald Trump addressed the troubling incident involving an arsonist who targeted the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Trump suggested that the suspect, who reportedly launched Molotov cocktails into the governor’s residence, is “not a fan of Trump” and described him as “probably just a whack job.”
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, inflicted “significant” damage to the residence, thankfully without causing any injuries to the governor or his family.
Last night at about 2AM, my family and I woke up to bangs on the door from the Pennsylvania State Police after an arsonist set fire to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg.
The Harrisburg Bureau of Fire was on the scene and while they worked to put out the fire, we were…
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) April 13, 2025
The accused, 38-year-old Cody Balmer from Harrisburg, has confessed to committing the act of arson.
This is Cody Balmer, the suspect who tried to set fire to Josh Shapiro’s house.
He’s 1,000%, not MAGA, so you can expect this story to drop out of the headlines by this time tomorrow pic.twitter.com/CElqjA1rWD— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) April 13, 2025
During a press conference on Monday, Trump was queried about the incident, to which he responded, “The attacker was not a fan of Trump, I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told. The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody, he was probably just a whack job.”
He further emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”
JUST IN: Trump issues new statement on the arson and attempted m*rder of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
“The attacker was not a fan of Trump, I understand… wasn’t a fan of anybody, was just a whack job.”
“A thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.” pic.twitter.com/UHwj4kR7ru
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2025
Balmer now faces serious charges, including attempted murder, terrorism, and aggravated arson.
I am deeply relieved that Governor Shapiro and his family are safe, thankful for the first responders who arrived on the scene, and applaud the police work that resulted in an arrest just hours ago. https://t.co/OnJALXmpvU
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) April 13, 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi expressed relief at the governor’s safety, commending the first responders and law enforcement for their swift action that led to Balmer’s arrest within hours of the incident.
