JOSH SHAPIRO: It is great to be back at Oakmont. Let me just first say that the USGA not only knows how to put on an extraordinary tournament. They've got great taste in how they chose Oakmont for the 10th time, and Pennsylvania is quite literally, I think, the golf capital of the United States, with 95 championships being here within the boundaries of our great Commonwealth.
Golf is huge business here in Pennsylvania. It's a great opportunity for recreation. It's a great opportunity for business. I will also say it's a great opportunity to find ways to bring people together in these hyper-polarized times. We've got to find ways to communicate and talk and work together, and that's exactly what golf is able to do.
To the crew here at Oakmont led by Lou and others, they've done an amazing job, an amazing job, not only putting on this championship for the players, but I think that the way that the course is set up, the way the stands are set up, the way the whole thing is set up here, there's a great equity here in Oakmont, with folks being able to walk around, be together, people from all different walks of life being able to experience championship golf at the highest level, and I know that was really purposeful for leadership here at Oakmont and of course for the USGA.
I just want to say to everyone here, you've done a heck of a job. Pennsylvania is the golf capital of the United States. We're excited for a terrific tournament, and I look forward to any questions you might have.
Q. How much money does this bring in, like 6 billion, and how much does that help our economies here in Pittsburgh and the Commonwealth?
JOSH SHAPIRO: Hospitality and tourism is huge for Pennsylvania, and golf is a critical part of that. I think what's so unique about Pennsylvania, we're about a four-hour drive from -- 50 percent of our population can get here quickly and easily, and once you're here for golf, that means you're staying in our hotels. It means you're going to our restaurants and our bars. You become part of the culture, and hopefully you come back.
We've got a lot of big exciting things happening in Pennsylvania and a reason to come back, whether it's the NFL draft here next year, when you'll have, of course, the Steelers and the Eagles picking 31st and 32nd after getting to the Super Bowl and being the best two teams in the NFL. You've also got PGA TOUR golf at Aronimink on the other side of the state. We're also going to be the home of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game and much, much more. I think the eyes of the world are going to be on Pennsylvania in 2026 and Pittsburgh is going to be a huge part of that as we celebrate USA 250.
To have the championship here in Oakmont, getting people excited about coming to Pennsylvania, seeing the promise of Pennsylvania, seeing how wonderful it is to visit here, that's only going to encourage them to come back next year when we've got even more great things happening here in the Commonwealth.
Q. You kind of touched on it there. Talk to me a little bit about the importance for the Commonwealth to really stay site ready when it comes to inviting and having all these major events? Talk about the lead-up process to make sure we're all ready to go.
JOSH SHAPIRO: Well, we have wonderful partners here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who know how to do it. Obviously the folks here at Oakmont are just extraordinary. The USGA has obviously been here for months and months and months, and this is not their first time. Obviously they've been here nine other times. So there's a level of comfort within Oakmont that sets them apart.
I think there's a byproduct of this that's really important that I hope is not lost on anybody, and that is when you see leaders here at Oakmont be able to work with the national organizations like USGA, that sets a template for us for so many other things even outside of golf, how to put our best foot forward in the Commonwealth, working with outside partners to put on a great show, whether that great show is golf, whether that great show is football, baseball, you name it. Sports is big business here, and I think the way they do it here at Oakmont sets a high standard for everyone else, whether it's working with the Steelers on the NFL draft next year, working with the Phillies on Major League Baseball's All-Star Game, Oakmont sets the standard.
Q. Just wanted to ask you, how does this impact specifically the Pittsburgh region, the local Oakmont community? Obviously you talked about the NFL draft coming next year. What does it mean locally for the western region of Pennsylvania?
JOSH SHAPIRO: Well, first off, it's a sense of pride for Pennsylvania, and particularly western Pennsylvania, to know that this is the course that's been chosen more than any other for a U.S. Open Championship. That's a point of pride for us.
It's also big business. It means our hotels and our restaurants, our bars are filled because of this. It also opens up people's eyes to the beauty of western Pennsylvania, the great culture of western Pennsylvania, that sort of wonderful chip folks have on their shoulders being from Pennsylvania because we are, of course, the best.
I think sort of being able to take that culture and share it with others, it's a big deal, and it's really exciting.
Q. Governor, not necessarily golf related, but obviously protests happening across the state this weekend. How is your office preparing for that, and have you spoken to Mayor Gainey's office about that?
JOSH SHAPIRO: My administration has been in close coordination with Mayor Gainey, Mayor Parker in Philadelphia, and all the other local governments. Let me just talk about the protests first.
One, there is no place for violence in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We don't settle our political differences with violence, and we don't use violence to make a point. There is a place here in Pennsylvania in the birthplace of democracy for peaceful protest, and we will have our state police assets out together with local police working to do two things: One, protect peaceful citizens' rights to protest, and two, making sure that if there is any violence, it is addressed immediately and it is stopped. People have a right to be safe and feel safe in their communities, even when they're out expressing their political views on issues.
I want to encourage people to make their voices heard peacefully. I want to discourage any kind of violence. Again, we will be coordinated at every level. We are coordinating locally, with other state assets, with our federal partners, and we will be ready to make sure people can peacefully protest and that there's no violence in Pittsburgh or anywhere else.
Q. Globally, of course, I'm sure you're well aware of what's going on with the tensions and the rise in tensions between Iran and Israel --
JOSH SHAPIRO: This is a real leap, by the way. We went from golf to protests and now we're going to go to the Middle East here?
Q. Go from small to big here.
JOSH SHAPIRO: Anybody from the USGA want to take these? Go ahead.
Q. What are your comments about the recent attack or the recent response, and where does the U.S. fit into all of this?
JOSH SHAPIRO: Well, look, let's be clear. Iran is the largest state sponsor of terror in the world and the No. 1 exporter of terror in the world. They are a destabilizing force in the world, and they are a force that have claimed lives all across the globe.
Israel, according to President Trump, acted unilaterally last night, and seemingly took out major operational assets that they have to do damage throughout the Middle East and throughout the world, and also took out some of their top leaders.
There should be no one feeling bad for the terrorists out there, but I think there is reason to worry about a rise in tensions in the Middle East and across the globe anytime you have this type of operation.
I noted the President's comments about wanting to figure out a way to tamp down any further actions to try and create a level of calm in the region, and I think calm is incredibly important right now.
Obviously if the Israelis were able to dismantle the nuclear arsenal, or at least a piece of it, and those guiding it, that's probably a good day for the world because that threat has been mitigated. But make no mistake, we do not want an all-out war in the Middle East. That's not only bad for the Middle East, it's destabilizing for the globe and something that I hope will not occur, and I hope as we go forward here that diplomacy is able to take over and calm the situation down.
Q. We have about two weeks left before state budget is due. How do we get everyone on par and get this in the hole?
JOSH SHAPIRO: Yeah, doing exactly what we did over the last two years. Look, I've been the only governor in the country with a divided legislature. I've got a Senate led by Republicans, House led by Democrats. You know what we did the last two years, which is why we got historic budgets passed? We compromised. We came together. We found common ground. Compromise isn't a dirty word. That's what you've got to do in order to make progress.
I think what is absolutely certain about this budget process is I won't get everything I want, Senate Republicans won't get everything they want, House Democrats won't get everything they want. But when we all compromise, the good news is Pennsylvanians will get what they deserve. They'll see historic investments in education, public safety, economic development. They'll see us address important issues like mass transit funding for all across this Commonwealth here in Pittsburgh and beyond. I'm confident we'll be able to get there. I'm sure there will be some drama along the way. You guys will cover it. But we're going to get there as we have in the past, and we'll get there because we'll compromise.
Everybody enjoy. It is such a treat to be here at Oakmont and it's a privilege to have this tournament here. I know that we've grown accustomed to it here at Oakmont, but I hope no one ever takes this for granted.
I just want to say thank you again to the USGA for choosing us. These folks have amazing golf courses they can choose from all across the country, and they choose us with a frequency unlike any other. We're grateful to the USGA, grateful to our friends at Oakmont. I wish everybody a wonderful, save time, and to all the other dads out there, happy Father's Day.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports