Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro condemned Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner's comparison of ICE officers to "wannabe Nazis," calling the rhetoric "abhorrent" and urging cooler heads. Shapiro also urged calm amid immigration-related unrest and renewed criticism of Vice President JD Vance for not forcefully condemning antisemitism. Vance's office dismissed Shapiro's comments as hypocritical.
Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro Calls DA Krasner’s ICE-Nazi Comparison 'Abhorrent,' Urges Cooler Rhetoric
Split image of I.C.E. agents and Philadelphia's District Attorney Larry Krasner.(Getty Images)
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro sharply condemned Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's remark comparing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to Nazis, calling for restraint and cooler rhetoric during a Thursday appearance on Fox News' Special Report.
On Tuesday, Krasner said:
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, left; Vice President JD Vance, right.
"This is a small bunch of wannabe Nazis, that's what they are, in a country of 350 million. We outnumber them. If we have to hunt you down the way they hunted down Nazis for decades, we will find your identities, we will find you, we will achieve justice."
Responding on Thursday, Gov. Shapiro denounced the comments as unacceptable. "That kind of rhetoric is unacceptable, it is abhorrent and it is wrong — period, hard stop, end of sentence," he told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier.
Call For Calm Amid Unrest
Shapiro placed the exchange in the broader context of recent protests and law-enforcement actions related to immigration policy, including unrest in Minnesota. "We need to bring down the rhetoric, bring down the temperature and create calm in the community," he said, adding that he believes the president's policies have "injected chaos onto the streets of Minnesota."
Gov. Josh Shapiro's administration is being pushed by Republican state lawmakers to do more to investigate the deaths of older adults who have received an abuse or neglect complaint.
Criticism Of Vice President JD Vance
The governor reiterated his earlier criticism of Vice President JD Vance, accusing him of failing to speak out forcefully against antisemitism for political reasons. "I'm pointing out that antisemitism is a problem, and I want to see the vice president of the United States do better," Shapiro said. He argued leaders on both sides of the aisle must "speak and act with moral clarity" when confronting hate.
Shapiro also named media figures and extremists he said should not be platformed, singling out Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson as examples. "He [Vance] is seeking some short-term political gain by not criticizing them," Shapiro said, adding that such tolerance of extremist rhetoric makes the country "less safe."
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office on August 14, 2025
Responses And Context
Fox News Digital reported it contacted the White House for comment. A spokesperson for Vice President Vance told NBC News that Shapiro's remarks were a "next level hypocritical deflection from Shapiro, a misguided plea for attention from a political lightweight."
This exchange highlights sharp partisan tensions over immigration enforcement, public rhetoric, and how political leaders should respond to antisemitism and extremism.
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