President Donald Trump has disinvited at least two Democratic governors from attending this year’s annual National Governors Association dinner at the White House.
For decades, the annual event, which concludes a weekend-long policy gathering, has been a bipartisan affair. But the White House confirmed Monday that this year’s event will include two dinners: one for Republicans only, and another for governors of both parties, save for a few Democrats that Trump chose to disinvite.
The two Democrats whose invitations were rescinded were Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado.
The White House did not answer questions from NOTUS about why the pair were removed from the guest list, instead asserting that Trump is free to exercise control over who he includes in White House events.
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“Many Democrats were invited to dinner at the White House, and others were not,” a White House spokesperson told NOTUS. “These are White House events and the President reserves the right to invite whomever he wants.”
Moore, elected as vice chair of the NGA last year, tied his exclusion from the event to his status as the country’s only Black governor.
“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 posted on X. “I’m ready to work with the administration anywhere we can deliver results. 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.”
Polis confirmed to ABC News Monday that he was not being invited to the bipartisan dinner.
“This is a disappointing decision for a traditionally bipartisan event between Governors and whomever occupies the White House,” Polis’ spokesperson told ABC News.
Trump has, for months, pushed Polis and state officials to issue a pardon for election clerk Tina Peters, who is currently serving a nine-year sentence for election tampering in an effort to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results in favor of Trump.
In response to the change in guest list, at least one Democratic governor said they will not attend the White House’s bipartisan dinner.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the White House, in addition to creating the exclusive Republican-only dinner, also excluded Democrats from policy sessions.
“They didn’t invite any Democratic governor to the business section, and this is when we try to get together and move the country forward where we can agree,” Beshear said on “The View.” “If he’s not going to invite us to the business section, I’m not going to go to dinner, the social section.”
“What we’re seeing right now is people that put being a Democrat or a Republican ahead of being an American,” he added. “And we’ve got to see that change.”
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