Governor Wes Moore, despite being the vice chair of the organization, has apparently been uninvited to the White House’s upcoming National Governors Association (NGA) dinner.
On Sunday, Feb. 8, the 47-year-old Maryland Governor shared the update on his social media platforms, calling the move “another example of blatant disrespect” from the White House and noting his concern as the only sitting Black governor currently.
“This week, I learned that I was uninvited to this year’s National Governors Association dinner – a decades-long annual tradition meant to bring governors from both parties together to build bonds and celebrate a shared service to our citizens with the President of the United States,” he wrote.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
He added that the move was “especially confusing” after just weeks earlier, he was at the White House working with a group of bipartisan governors to lower energy costs and strengthen grid reliability to great success despite being across partisan lines.
“We proved in that moment what’s possible when we stay focused on outcomes over politics,” he recalled.
He noted that, as the Governor of Maryland and vice chair of NGA, he wasn’t going to change his approach or back down anytime soon.
“I’m ready to work with the administration anywhere we can deliver results,” he explained. “Yet, I promised the people of my state I will work with anybody but will bow down to nobody. And I guess the President doesn’t like that.”
The Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, was also disinvited, according to WUSA 9.
The NGA 2026 winter meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., beginning Thursday, Feb. 19 through Saturday, Feb. 21—the President’s dinner, a black-tie affair at the White House for the governors and their spouses, typically falls on the Saturday evening of the week.
While both Maryland and Colorado governors have openly pushed back against President Trump’s Adminstration since he regained office, others, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who have been vocal in their opposition, still made the cut, WTOP reported.
A White House spokesperson speaking to ABC 7 said, “Many Democrats were invited to dinner at the White House, and others were not. These are White House events and the President reserves the right to invite whomever he wants.”
Meanwhile, Brandon Tatum, acting Executive Director and CEO of NGA, released a statement expressing his disappointment with the decision.
“The bipartisan White House governors meeting is an important tradition, and we are disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year,” he said, per ABC 7. “To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration. At this moment in our nation’s history, it is critical that institutions continue to stand for unity, dignity, and constructive engagement.”
