Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said he pulled out of President Donald Trump’s event Tuesday to announce plans for a new shipyard in Baltimore after being told he would not be allowed to speak.
The event set for Tuesday afternoon is to announce that Anduril Industries will invest $3.7 billion to open a shipyard at Sparrows Point for Navy submarine parts. Moore was originally set to join Trump, Navy officials and executives from Anduril, a military technology company.
“If the president of the United States wants to bring the circus into town and tell me that I’m not allowed to speak to the fact that we were the ones that helped bring the deal, then I will let the circus be conducted while I go back to the work of the people,” Moore told reporters Tuesday.
The clash adds to a running feud between Trump and Moore, a rising Democratic figure who has faced persistent speculation about a 2028 presidential bid. The two have sparred over infrastructure repairs, a sewage spill and other issues. Trump this year even revoked Moore’s invitation to a White House governors’ dinner.
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A White House official said Moore was invited “as a guest.”
“President Trump is willing to work with anyone to revitalize our manufacturing sector, which is why the White House graciously invited Governor Moore to attend today’s event as a guest,” said the official. “It’s unfortunate that the Governor is now making a multi-billion-dollar announcement about himself by throwing a tantrum over a federal initiative that will bring sorely needed jobs back to his state thanks to President Trump.”
The dispute came after Moore, Anduril executives and Trump administration officials conducted two separate briefings for reporters on the project. Moore called it one of the largest economic development projects in Maryland history.
“This is a massive new project that’s going to deliver the largest private investment and create the most jobs in Maryland in well over a decade,” Moore said Monday.
Anduril’s president and chief strategy officer, Chris Brose, speaking before the fight erupted, credited Moore and his administration with helping land the project, calling them “remarkable champions” and saying the state had been “incredibly welcoming.”
The company plans to build a 2-million-square foot shipyard at the former Bethlehem Steel site that is expected to support more than 14,000 jobs.
The Navy has awarded the company a production contract worth up to $2.9 billion for submarine components. Administration officials cast the project as part of Trump’s broader effort to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding capacity and expand the maritime industrial base.
The Navy, which is struggling to increase submarine production, approached Anduril about joining the Virginia-class submarine program. The company then launched a nationwide search for a site for the new facility.
Moore said Maryland moved aggressively once his administration learned about the competition. Maryland and Baltimore County have committed to incentives worth up to 13% of Anduril’s anticipated private investment, plus workforce training.
“We just wanted to make sure that they saw not just our interest and aggression in moving forward, but just showing the uniqueness that Maryland could offer for this being the home for this project,” Moore said.
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