Josh Shapiro, Spencer Cox talk political violence at bipartisan panel with host Savannah Guthrie

Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Spencer Cox of Utah sit in for a wide-ranging interview with "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie.

Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Spencer Cox of Utah decried the state of the political discourse in the country and talked of leaning on each other after high-profile cases of political violence in a wide-ranging interview with "Today" co-anchor Savannah Guthrie on Tuesday.

Both have been at the forefront of handling political crises in their states.

Cox, a Republican, was widely praised for his handling of the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk in Utah in September, an event that inflamed political divides. Shapiro, a Democrat, has dealt with political violence repeatedly in his state, including the attempt on President Donald Trump's life at a rally in Butler last year and the politically motivated firebombing of his own home this year.

“I just need to tell you when that very dark day happened in my state, the first call I got was from this guy, from Gov. Shapiro, and he gave me some advice that changed what I was going to say when I stepped in front of that camera for the first time,” Cox said, speaking alongside Shapiro at the National Cathedral in Washington.

“He told me to speak with moral clarity and to speak from the heart. ... I don’t care what color his politics are, in that moment we were two Americans who were deeply saddened and struggling, and I’m grateful that there’s somebody I can trust, even though we disagree on a lot of things,” he added.