President Trump said Wednesday that nearly all governors are welcome to the White House next week for formal meetings and dinners, although the Democratic governors of Maryland and Colorado remain excluded.
the white house was initially exclude Democratic governors will hold a formal, typically bipartisan business meeting on Feb. 20 during the National Governors Association’s (NGA) annual conference, according to the National Governors Association (NGA) and a source familiar with White House plans.
Democratic governors Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado said they were notified by the NGA on Friday that they would not be invited to a separate dinner with the president, governors and their spouses at the White House on February 21.
But after a White House meeting with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, the Republican who chairs the NGA, the organization and the president said Wednesday that governors from both parties were welcome to attend the meeting and dinner. Democratic governors began receiving invitations to business meetings Wednesday night, but the NGA had no update on the White House dinner.
On Wednesday, Governor Stitt notified all 55 state and territorial governors that all governors are invited to attend a formal meeting on February 20.
“He has been very clear in his communications to me that this is a National Governors Association event and that he looks forward to hosting you and hearing from governors across the country. President Trump has indicated that this was his intention all along and that we have resolved the misunderstanding on the schedule,” Stitt wrote in a message to governors obtained by CBS News.
After Stitt’s message, Trump wrote in a Truth Society post Wednesday afternoon that Moore and Polis remained excluded. He suggested there was a misunderstanding between him and Stitt.
“Invitations have been sent to all but two governors who I do not believe deserve to be present,” Trump wrote, adding that he had “even invited” two of his political opponents, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “So, as usual, Stitt got it wrong! Invitations were sent to all other governors, Democratic and Republican.”
Moore still received an invitation to a formal meeting Wednesday, according to people familiar with the matter.
It was unclear whether Polis also received an invitation to that meeting. A spokesman for the Colorado governor said, “Regardless of whether Colorado is invited to any events, Governor Polis will remain focused on working with other governors and anyone who wants to help improve people’s lives.” CBS News has reached out to the White House.
The NGA said it was informed by the White House on February 5 that only Republican governors would be invited to formal business meetings. Because of those exclusions, the NGA said the next day it would not facilitate the meeting or include it on the organization’s official schedule. Stitt reiterated that point in a letter to the governor on Monday and defended Moore, saying he was an “outstanding vice president” of the NGA.
Nearly all Democratic governors issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying they would not attend any White House events, including dinners, out of solidarity with Moore and Polis, following reports that they were being excluded from the meeting.
In his Wednesday post, Trump cited disagreements over the jailing of former Colorado county elections clerk Tina Peters as the reason for not inviting Polis. The president has been urging Polis to grant clemency to Peters for months. nine years in prison Multiple state charges involve unauthorized access to voting machines.
Trump called Moore “foul-mouthed” and claimed he glorified receiving a military medal, although Moore said it was “a one-off”honest mistake” in his 2006 White House Fellowship application. He has since Received Bronze Star Award In recognition of his deployment to Afghanistan.
The president also criticized Stitt, calling him a “greenhorn,” a Republican in name only. Stitt endorsed Trump’s former opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, during the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Moore said in a statement that the decision not to invite him was “yet another example of blatant disrespect and snubbing of the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership.” statement earlier this week.
A spokesman for Polis called it “a disappointing decision in what has been a traditionally bipartisan affair between the governor and the person occupying the White House.”
Governors from both parties attended White House meetings and dinners during last year’s session. The meeting drew attention to a spat between Trump and Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, in which the president pressed Mills on the issue of transgender women participating in sports and Mills responded: “I’ll see you in court.”
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