WASHINGTON (AP) — The annual meeting of the nation’s governors, long a rare bipartisan gathering, is unraveling after President Donald Trump excluded Democratic governors from White House events.
The National Governors Association said it will no longer hold formal meetings with Trump when the governors are scheduled to convene in Washington later this month, after the White House planned to invite only Republican governors. On Tuesday, 18 Democratic governors also announced a boycott of the traditional dinner at the White House.
“If reports are true that not all governors are invited to these events, which have historically been productive bipartisanship opportunities, we will not be attending the White House dinner this year,” the Democrats wrote. “Democratic governors remain united and will never stop fighting to protect the people of our states and make their lives better.”
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who chairs the NGA, told other governors in a letter Monday that the White House intends to invite only Republican governors to the association’s annual business meeting, scheduled for Feb. 20.
“Because NGA’s mission is to represent all 55 governors, the association no longer serves as coordinator of the event and is no longer included in our official programming,” Stitt wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
The governor’s panel is scheduled to meet Feb. 19-21, one of the few places where political leaders from the two major parties come together to discuss top issues facing the community. White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said on Tuesday that Trump “has the discretion to invite anyone he wants into the White House.”
“This is the people’s house,” she said. “It’s also the president’s home, so he can invite anyone he wants to the White House for dinners and events.”
Representatives for Sitt and the NGA did not comment on the letter. NGA CEO Brandon Tatum said in a statement last week that the White House meeting is an “important tradition” and said the organization was “disappointed by the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year.”
In a letter to other governors, Stitt encouraged the group to unite around a common goal.
“We cannot allow a divisive act to achieve its goal of dividing us,” he wrote. “The solution is not to fight fire with fire, but to rise above and remain focused on our shared responsibility to the people we serve. America’s governors have always been a model of pragmatic leadership, and at a time when Washington is increasingly distracted by politics, this example is paramount.”
There were signs of partisan tensions at last year’s White House meeting, when Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills traded barbs.
Trump singled out the Democratic governor for her push to ban transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports and threatened to withhold federal funds from the state if she didn’t comply. Mills responded: “I’ll see you in court.”
Trump later predicted that Mills’ political career would be over for her opposition to the order. She is now running for U.S. Senate.
The back-and-forth had a lasting impact on last year’s session, with some Democratic governors not renewing their dues to bipartisan groups last year.
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The People reported from New York.