WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump is set to depart from decades of tradition by excluding Democratic governors from a key White House gathering tied to the National Governors Association (NGA) winter meeting later this month.
The annual event — historically a bipartisan forum where the president and governors from all 50 states meet to discuss federal–state cooperation — will this year include only Republican governors at the White House session, according to the NGA and multiple state officials. Democratic governors were reportedly not invited to the business meeting, a break with established practice under past administrations.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore — the NGA’s vice chair and the nation’s only Black governor — and Colorado Governor Jared Polis were among those who said they did not receive invitations to the White House dinner for governors and their spouses, typically held as part of the NGA weekend.
Moore called the exclusion “blatant disrespect” and, while stopping short of accusing Trump of racial motivations, said the decision “carries an added weight” given his position in the organization. He and other Democrats described the move as undermining bipartisan federal–state collaboration at a moment of heightened political polarization.
Interim NGA CEO Brandon Tatum echoed that sentiment, saying the organization was “disappointed” in the shift toward a partisan meeting and that disinviting governors “undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration.”
A White House spokesperson defended the president’s prerogative to choose invitees, saying these are White House events and the president can invite whomever he wishes. The spokeswoman also noted that some Democratic governors were invited to the affiliated evening dinner, though key Democratic figures remain excluded.
The altered guest list arrives amid broader tensions between the Trump administration and Democratic state leaders, including recent disputes over immigration policy, criminal justice, and high-profile state–federal clashes.
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