Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reaffirmed Monday that former Vice President Kamala Harris was attempting “to cover her a–” with comments she made about him in her new book, 107 Days.
Shapiro defended his earlier statements during an interview on MS NOW after being asked about remarks he gave to The Atlantic last week, as reported by The New York Post.
“Look, I stand by what I said,” Shapiro told host Symone Sanders-Townsend. He added that while the author’s description of his emotion “was not accurate,” the quoted words were his.
Josh Shapiro told MS NOW in an interview on Monday he’s standing by what he said about Kamala Harris.
Shapiro accused Harris of trying to “cover her ass to sell books”
Shapiro: “There’s no praising. Look, I stand by what I said. The words are mine and I stand by them.” pic.twitter.com/yJfx6HamAh
— News Now (@NewsNowUS) December 9, 2025
The original controversy stems from an excerpt in Harris’ book describing tension during her vetting process for a running mate ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
In the book, Harris claimed that Shapiro asked her team numerous questions, including about “how he might arrange to get Pennsylvania artists’ work on loan from the Smithsonian.”
She also wrote that he wanted involvement in every decision and said she reminded him, “A vice president is not a co-president.”
When asked about the excerpt by The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta, Shapiro responded, “She wrote that in her book? That’s complete and utter bullsh*t. I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies.”
He also said Harris was “trying to sell books and cover her a**,” before correcting himself mid-interview, saying, “I shouldn’t say ‘cover her a**.’ I think that’s not appropriate.”
He then added, “She’s trying to sell books. Period.”
Shapiro repeated Monday that the details attributed to Harris were false. “I think what was relayed to me by that author that the vice president had written about me just simply wasn’t true,” he said. He added that he and Harris “had very and continue to have very candid conversations,” but that what was communicated to him “was certainly not accurate.”
News – Josh Shapiro is standing by his comments after saying on Kamala Harris “She is trying to sell books and cover her ass” pic.twitter.com/7JUAoUWPM5
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) December 9, 2025
Sanders-Townsend pressed further, asking whether Shapiro was trying to “correct the record” for the sake of a potential presidential campaign.
Shapiro dismissed the suggestion. “No, Simone, I was asked for my reaction to a statement that he said the vice president said that simply wasn’t true, and I was pointing that out,” he said.
Shapiro concluded the interview by attempting to shift attention away from the dispute.
“Look, here’s the thing: I’ve got respect for the former vice president, and I think we do everyone a disservice when we focus on looking backwards instead of looking forwards in terms of what we’re dealing with every day with the Trump administration making people’s lives more difficult,” he said.
