President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive at the National Governors Association Dinner and Reception in the East Room of the White House on February 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump hosted the governors in Washington for the annual meetings of the National Governors Association. (Photo by Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has decided to exclude Democratic governors from a traditional annual meeting at the White House and exclude several others from a black-tie dinner, according to the White House, governors and the National Governors Association.
The National Governors Association organizes the bipartisan winter meeting, which usually includes a working meeting with the US president and a huge dinner at the White House. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, currently serves as the association’s chairman, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, is vice chairman.
The governors’ visit to the nation’s capital comes amid growing tensions over Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and the influx of federal immigration agents into Democratic-led states, including California, Illinois, Minnesota and Oregon.
Moore: “blatant disrespect”
Moore issued a statement Sunday saying he was “uninvited” to the dinner, adding that the decision was “particularly confusing” since he was among a bipartisan group of governors at the White House in recent weeks discussing lower energy costs.
“My colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, elected me to serve as Vice Chairman of the NGA, another reason why it is hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership,” Moore said. “As the only Black governor in the country, I cannot ignore that exclusion from this bipartisan tradition carries additional weight — whether that was intentional or not.”
Moore’s exclusion also follows Trump’s exclusion Publishing a racist video On Friday, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama will be portrayed as monkeys. Trump deleted the post after thunderous disapproval, which included criticism from within his own party, but has done so refused to apologize.
The offices of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek did not immediately respond for comment.
Moore added: “As governor of Maryland and vice chairman of the NGA, my approach will never change: I am willing to work with the government wherever we can deliver results. However, I promised the people of my state that I would work with everyone but bow to no one. And I think the president doesn’t like that.”
The office of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, learned of the expulsion of Democratic governors on Friday and also issued a troubling statement.
“Governor Polis has always been willing to work with anyone across the political spectrum who wants to help solve Colorado’s and America’s toughest problems, regardless of party or who occupies the White House. This is a disappointing decision for a traditionally bipartisan event between governors and whoever occupies the White House,” his office said in a statement emailed to States Newsroom.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office confirmed Monday that he, too, had not been invited.
“Many Democrats” invited, but not all
A White House official confirmed Monday that Trump had excluded some Democratic governors from the annual dinner.
“Many Democrats have been invited to the White House for dinner, others have not. These are White House events and the President reserves the right to invite whomever he wants,” the official said in an emailed statement to States Newsroom.
Brandon Tatum, acting executive director and CEO of the National Governors Association, said: “The White House Bipartisan Governors Meeting is an important tradition and we are disappointed by the administration’s decision to make it a partisan event this year.”
“Disinviting individual governors from White House meetings undermines an crucial opportunity for federal-state cooperation. At this moment in our nation’s history, it is critical that the institutions continue to stand for unity, dignity, and constructive engagement. The NGA will remain focused on serving all governors by providing solutions and exemplary leadership for the American people. Traditionally, the White House has played a role in fostering these moments during the NGA’s annual meeting. This year, that will not be the case be,” Tatum said in a statement.
This year’s meeting follows a tense exchange during the 2025 meeting between Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Trump, who threatened to withhold all federal funding from the state unless Mills complied with the president’s order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
The association’s 2026 meeting is scheduled for February 19-21. The gathering will feature “special guests and national experts for solutions-focused conversations on pressing national issues such as education, energy, economic growth, artificial intelligence and more,” according to the association’s website.
