Governor Josh Shapiro wants to run for president. He seems to think calling out Vice President JD Vance will give him a headstart.

In case you missed it, Josh Shapiro has written a memoir, which he is currently promoting. He’s already discussed some juicy details about the vice presidential vetting process that the Kamala Harris campaign used on him, but perhaps Kamala wasn’t so far off in her assessment of the Pennsylvania governor. He is ambitious, and after these comments, it’s clear that he has his eyes set on higher office.

So, what did Vice President Vance do that provoked a slam from Shapiro? He made a post about International Holocaust Rememberance Day, and he didn’t follow the boilerplate language that the Democrats used.

Today we remember the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust, the millions of stories of individual bravery and heroism, and one of the enduring lessons of one of the darkest chapters in human history: that while humans create beautiful things and are full of compassion,… pic.twitter.com/2UwFcy4Kmp

— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 27, 2026

Those photos of JD and Usha Vance are from their visit to Dachau in February of 2025. But because JD Vance didn’t specifically reference the number of Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust, he was getting blasted by certain Jewish groups. And then Josh Shapiro decided to pile on, tying Vance to anti-Semitic voices.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that in his view, Vice President JD Vance has “offered comfort” to people on the right who espouse anti-Jewish views, as the Republican Party navigates an ongoing intra-coalition feud over antisemitism.

Shapiro, a 2028 Democratic presidential contender, said in an interview Tuesday that he had not yet seen Vance’s post. But he also said he did not think it was surprising that Vance’s post did not explicitly include Jews given his handling of the issue of right-wing antisemitism.

“Remember that the reason why we memorialize the Holocaust on this day, really, essentially, is to never forget,” said Shapiro, a practicing Jew who has centered his faith in his public life. “And the reason you want to never forget is so that we never live through that atrocity again. Part of never forgetting is making sure that the facts of what happened are recited, are remembered. The fact that JD Vance couldn’t bring himself to acknowledging that 6 million Jews were killed by Hitler and by the Nazis speaks volumes.

“It is not a surprise to me, however, given the way in which he has openly supported the AfD party, given the way he openly embraces neo-Nazis and neo-Nazi political parties, given the way in which he has offered comfort, really, to the antisemites on the right who are infecting the Republican Party,” Shapiro continued. “So it’s not a shock to me that he would omit that, but it’s a sad day that the vice president of the United States on Holocaust Awareness Day couldn’t address that.”

Now, Shapiro really has no room to complain about anti-Semitism on the right, as he just pointed out how anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias played into his interview process for vice president. Anti-Semitism has been fully mainstreamed into the Democrat party, and Josh Shapiro has been a target of that left-wing hatred. However, Democrats are being very careful with their official statements during an election year. The Democrats who commented on International Holocaust Rememberance Day were all using the same script from their official accounts. Here is what Ilhan Omar said from her “managed by staff” congressional X account:

Today, we remember and mourn the 6 million Jewish lives and millions of others murdered during the Holocaust.

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and every day, we must commit ourselves to fighting antisemitism and bigotry in every form.

Here is AOC from her congressional X account, also run by her staff:

Today on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we mourn the 6 million Jewish lives and countless others murdered by the Nazis.

It’s on all of us to learn from this dark period in history, reject hatred and division, and work to stamp out antisemitism in all its forms.

Here is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, also from his official X account.

Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the six million Jewish lives — and the millions of others — senselessly murdered by the Nazi regime. We remember not only the unimaginable loss, but the warning history leaves us. This day calls on us to do more than reflect; it calls on us to act — to confront antisemitism wherever it exists and to reject all forms of hatred and dehumanization.

May the memories of all those lost be a blessing — one that guides us as we build a world where every life is sacred.

Noticing a theme yet? Here is Governor Gavin Newsom’s official X account.

This International Holocaust Remembrance Day, California mourns the six million Jewish lives brutally taken and the millions of others horrifically murdered by the Nazis.

We must tell the truth about this atrocity and fight antisemitism and all hatred — without exception.

The memo went out to Democrats. Either use the boilerplate script and add rhetorical flourishes as desired, or say absolutely nothing at all. Rashida Tlaib said nothing on either her personal or congressional X accounts. Kamala Harris also said nothing on her personal (and currently only) X account. I don’t see Josh Shapiro taking Kamala Harris to task for ignoring International Holocause Rememberance Day.

Speaking of Governor Shapiro, who wrote his X post? Someone – AHEM – missed the memo.

This Holocaust Remembrance Day, we pause to reflect on a horrific chapter in human history — a period of incredible darkness for our world, consumed by hate and violence against millions of people on the basis of their faith, their background, and their beliefs.

Today, perhaps…

— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) January 27, 2026

WHOOPS. Did someone forget to acknowledge that 6 million Jews were murdered in his official tweet? Uh-oh. And not just this year, either.

Wow. Josh Shapiro must be really offended by his statements issued this year and last year, neither of which mentioned "Jews." https://t.co/8GULJDhvuO pic.twitter.com/bppKcnZpp6

— Alex Pfeiffer (@AlexPfeiffer) January 29, 2026

Someone is going to have some proverbial egg on their face, methinks. One can criticize JD Vance for a lot of things, but not specifically mentioning the murder of 6 million Jews, while simultaneously putting up pictures from a sobering trip to Dachau? Shapiro swung and whiffed badly on this one, especially considering his own X posts.

So, why did Josh Shapiro do this? Between the memoir, and running for re-election as governor of Pennsylvania, it seems obvious that Shapiro is testing out the waters for a possible presidential run in 2028. And he seems to think it a foregone conclusion that, should he run, his Republican opponent would have a high likelihood of being Vice President Vance. In attempting to slap the charge of anti-Semitism on JD Vance, Shapiro is singling him out. In a way, this is a smarter move than what Gavin Newsom is currently doing. Newsom is currently laser focused on setting himself up as the Democrat alternative to Donald Trump, because he feels that will raise his profile in a primary. There’s only one problem – Donald Trump won’t be on the 2028 ballot. Now, the president will definitely have an outsized influence on the election, but Newsom could be making a profound tactical error. Just because Kamala Harris could not separate herself from Joe Biden, doesn’t mean that a future Republican presidential nominee won’t be able to create “daylight” between him or herself and President Trump. The tactic being employed by Josh Shapiro is sound – he just happened to trip over an entire pile of rakes on the way there and negate his own point.

By the time the midterms are over, we’re going to be launched directly into the 2028 presidential season – a precendent set by Donald Trump himself. The Democrats are busy trying to jockey themselves into good field position for a primary race. Josh Shapiro really thought he had a good dig at JD Vance. Too bad he didn’t bother to read his own tweets first.

Featured image: composite collage of Governor Josh Shapiro (D-PA) via former PA Governor Tom Wolf’s Flickr account, cropped, CC BY 2.0 and Vice President JD Vance, official White House portrait by Daniel Torok, cropped, public domain