• Trump excluded Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis from the annual NGA dinner, calling them “not worthy of being there” while inviting all other governors
• The NGA canceled its facilitation of the White House meeting after Democrats were initially shut out, prompting a partial reversal that left both parties frustrated
• Eighteen Democratic governors announced they would boycott the dinner in solidarity, while Republican NGA Chairman Kevin Stitt drew Trump’s ire for pushing back on the exclusions

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — President Donald Trump declared Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis “not worthy” of attending the annual National Governors Association dinner at the White House, capping a week of escalating tensions that fractured a decades-long tradition of bipartisan federal-state engagement and drew rebukes from governors in both parties.

The dispute began late last week when the White House informed the NGA that only Republican governors would be invited to the annual business meeting with the president scheduled for Feb. 20. Moore and Polis were also told their previously issued invitations to a separate formal dinner had been rescinded — without explanation.

NGA Pulls Out, Then Scrambles to Regroup

The bipartisan NGA moved quickly. On Monday, Chairman Kevin Stitt (R-OK) informed all 55 governors that the organization would no longer facilitate the White House event.

“Because NGA’s mission is to represent all 55 governors, the Association is no longer serving as the facilitator for that event, and it is no longer included in our official program. We cannot allow one divisive action to achieve its goal of dividing us.”

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That letter, obtained by the Associated Press, represented a rare institutional pushback from a Republican-led organization against a sitting Republican president. NGA interim CEO Brandon Tatum said the exclusions undermined “an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration.”

By Wednesday, Stitt announced a reversal — all governors, including Democrats, had been invited to the business meeting at the White House, citing what he called a “misunderstanding in scheduling.”

But Trump was not finished. He took to Truth Social to contradict Stitt’s characterization and attack the NGA chairman directly.

“The RINO Governor of the Great State of Oklahoma, in which I won all 77 Counties, three times (The only person to do so!), incorrectly stated my position on the very exclusive Governors Annual Dinner and Meeting at the White House.”

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Trump confirmed that Moore and Polis remained excluded from the dinner, writing that he “even invited the SLOB of a Governor, JB Pritzker, and horrendous California Governor, Gavin Newsom” — framing the two targeted exclusions as personal rather than partisan.

Why Moore and Polis?

Trump offered specific grievances against both governors. He accused Polis of “unfairly incarcerat[ing] in solitary confinement a 73-year-old cancer-stricken woman” — a reference to Tina Peters, the former Colorado county clerk sentenced to nine years on state felony charges related to unauthorized access to voting machines after the 2020 election. Trump pardoned Peters federally, but she remains imprisoned on state charges that the president has no authority to vacate. Trump has called Polis a “scumbag” over the issue.

For Moore, Trump called the governor “foul mouthed,” accused him of “fraudulently stat[ing] that he received Military medals” — a reference to a 2006 White House fellowship application error Moore has called an “honest mistake” — and claimed he was “doing a terrible job on the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge” while allowing Baltimore to remain a “Crime Disaster.”

The crime claim is directly contradicted by Baltimore’s own data. The city recorded 133 homicides in 2025, its lowest total in nearly 50 years — down from 334 in 2022. Non-fatal shootings dropped more than 30%. The Baltimore Police Department’s mid-year report showed double-digit reductions across nearly every violent crime category, and even Fox News credited the city’s tough-on-crime prosecution strategy for the sharp decline.

On the Key Bridge, the Maryland Transportation Authority achieved 70% design completion in 14 months — a process that typically takes seven years for projects of that scale. The cost increase from an initial $2 billion estimate to $4.3-$5.2 billion reflected rising material costs, federal design standards, and a $1 billion pier protection system. Moore and Trump’s own Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a joint statement in January agreeing to “accelerate the reconstruction” together.

Moore Responds: Race, Respect and Institutional Norms

Moore addressed the exclusion in a statement that directly raised the question of race — a rare move for a sitting governor commenting on a presidential snub.

“My peers, both Democrats and Republicans, selected me to serve as the Vice Chair of the NGA, another reason why it’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership.”

“As the nation’s only Black governor, I can’t ignore that being singled out for exclusion from this bipartisan tradition carries an added weight — whether that was the intent or not.”

Moore noted the exclusion was “especially confounding” given that he had been at the White House just weeks earlier with a bipartisan group of governors working with the administration on energy costs and grid reliability.

“I find that to be particularly painful, considering the fact that the president is trying to exclude me from an organization that not only my peers have asked me to help to lead, but then also a place that I know I belong in.”

Moore also connected the exclusion to broader patterns, telling NPR the decision sent “the same message” as Trump’s recent refusal to apologize for posting a racist meme of the Obamas.

A Polis spokesperson took a different approach, telling TIME magazine: “Governor Polis and other governors are focused on delivering results for our states, not playing games.”

Democratic Governors Close Ranks

The individual exclusions triggered a collective response. Eighteen Democratic governors announced they would boycott the White House dinner entirely, stating they would not attend unless all governors were invited.

“If the reports are true that not all governors are invited to these events, which have historically been productive and bipartisan opportunities for collaboration, we will not be attending the White House dinner this year.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) put it bluntly on ABC’s The View.

“No, I ain’t going. Wes is a friend of mine. Even if he wasn’t a friend of mine, this would be wrong.”

Republicans Push Back — and Pay for It

What made the episode unusual was the degree of Republican institutional resistance. Stitt, a conservative governor who won reelection with Trump’s endorsement, chose the NGA’s bipartisan mission over political deference to the White House. His reward was a public attack from the president who called him a “RINO” and “very mediocre (at best!)” while taking credit for his reelection.

“When Kevin Stitt, the very mediocre (at best!) RINO Governor of Oklahoma, was losing his Election to a Democrat, primarily because he did a bad job, he called for my help. I Endorsed him, and he won — Sorry, my cherished Oklahoma, to have done that to you!”

Stitt had earlier broken with Trump on immigration enforcement — a dispute that likely contributed to his willingness to challenge the White House on the NGA matter.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president’s prerogative. “These are White House events and the President can invite whomever he wants,” she told reporters, calling the controversy a “non-story.”

What the Tradition Actually Does

The NGA’s annual Washington gathering is not a ceremonial afterthought. For decades, governors from both parties have used the White House meeting to coordinate with federal agencies on disaster response, infrastructure funding, Medicaid implementation, energy policy and other issues that require federal-state partnership regardless of which party holds power.

The meeting has historically survived sharp partisan disagreements. Democratic governors attended under Republican presidents who opposed their policy positions, and Republican governors did the same under Democrats. The format acknowledged a basic structural reality of American governance: states need to work with whoever occupies the White House, and presidents need governors to implement federal programs.

Trump himself hosted a bipartisan NGA gathering last year that included all governors — though it generated its own controversy when Trump got into a verbal confrontation with Maine’s Democratic governor.

The decision to weaponize the invitation list this year introduces a precedent that some governors, including Republicans, view as dangerous. If governors can be excluded from bipartisan institutional events as punishment for policy disagreements, the calculation changes for any governor considering whether to publicly disagree with a president from their own party.

Where Things Stand

As of Thursday, the NGA confirmed that all 55 governors have been invited to the Feb. 20 business meeting at the White House. Moore reportedly received a meeting invitation on Wednesday, though it is unclear whether Polis did as well. Both remain excluded from the dinner, and 18 Democratic governors have said they will not attend any White House events unless all are included.

Moore said his approach would not change. “As Governor of Maryland and Vice Chair of the NGA, my approach will never change: I’m ready to work with the administration anywhere we can deliver results.”

When a president selectively excludes governors from a bipartisan tradition built to facilitate governance — and a Republican NGA chairman pushes back at personal cost — does the episode reveal the limits of executive power over institutional norms, or the erosion of those norms? And if governors can be punished for policy disagreements through exclusion from the table, what incentive remains for the kind of cross-party cooperation that federal-state governance actually requires?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from The Hill’s reporting on the NGA cancellation, ABC News’ coverage of the governor exclusions, CNN’s reporting on the reversal and Trump’s attacks on Stitt, NPR’s interview with Gov. Moore, CBS News’ reporting on Trump’s stated reasons, TIME’s coverage of the Democratic boycott, The Daily Beast’s reporting on Trump’s Truth Social posts, reporting by The Maryland Daily Record, WBAL-TV’s Baltimore crime data reporting, Fox News’ reporting on Baltimore’s crime decline, the Baltimore Police Department’s mid-year report, the Maryland Transportation Authority’s Key Bridge rebuild update, and CBS Baltimore’s reporting on the Moore-Duffy bridge agreement.

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