{"id":479408,"date":"2026-02-20T06:59:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T06:59:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/479408\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T06:59:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T06:59:11","slug":"group-backs-out-after-trump-wont-invite-all-governors-to-the-white-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/479408\/","title":{"rendered":"Group backs out after Trump won’t invite all governors to the White House"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The National Governors Association<\/a> is pulling out of an annual meeting at the White House after President Donald Trump<\/a> declined to invite two Democratic governors, undercutting one of Washington\u2019s few remaining bipartisan gatherings.<\/p>\n

Trump is still expected to meet with governors at the White House on Friday but the event will not be facilitated by an organization founded more than a century ago to help state leaders from both parties advocate for their interests in Washington. The Republican president had refused to include Democratic Govs. Jared Polis<\/a> of Colorado and Wes Moore<\/a> of Maryland and recently blasted them on social media as \u201cnot worthy of being there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a brief interview Thursday, Polis said he does not have \u201cany ability to get in (Trump\u2019s) head.\u201d Polis said he was nonetheless meeting with governors from both parties while he is in the nation\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent quality time with my colleagues this morning and really learning from one another and taking best practices that Republican or Democratic governors have launched in their state,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really what these meetings are about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The episode underscores the confrontational approach Trump has taken during his second term toward state leaders he does not like. He has at times threatened to withhold federal money or send in troops over the objections of local leaders. Now, even a ceremonial White House dinner has become a flashpoint and fellow Republicans openly acknowledge that Trump\u2019s aim as president is not to unify the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not putting his mind to it,\u201d Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, said at an event sponsored by Politico. \u201cHe\u2019s said very clearly that that\u2019s not who he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview<\/a> Wednesday, Moore said he has \u201cno desire to have beef with the president of the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t run for governor like, man, I can\u2019t wait so me and the president can go toe to toe,\u201d said Moore, the NGA\u2019s vice chair. \u201cBut the fact that he is waking up in the middle of the night and tweeting about me, I just, I pray for him and I just feel bad for him because that has just got to be a really, really hard existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Politico<\/p>\n

Politico Correspondent Adam Wren, Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., and Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., participate at an event at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n

Politico Correspondent Adam Wren, Gov. Wes Moore, D-Md., and Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., participate at an event at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n

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Governors try to stay above the partisan fighting<\/p>\n

The dynamics are a far cry from the air of bipartisanship that Moore and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt<\/a>, a Republican who chairs the NGA, sought to portray as governors began to assemble in Washington. Moore and Stitt shared a stage several times this week swapping jokes and praise. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have gotten, through the National Governors Association, a really good chance to know the heart of this man and how much he is a great American, loves his country, loves his citizens and is just trying to do the best he can for Maryland,\u201d Stitt said Thursday at the Politico event. <\/p>\n

After Stitt tried to resolve the standoff between the White House and the Democratic governors last week, Trump blasted him<\/a> as a \u201cRINO,\u201d short for Republican In Name Only, and accused him of misrepresenting his position. Stitt struck a conciliatory tone Thursday, noting he would participate in White House events. <\/p>\n

\u201cPolitics has a way of just beating you down over time so I can\u2019t imagine being president of the United States,\u201d Stitt said. \u201cHe\u2019s got a tough job to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Maryland<\/p>\n

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, center, fist bumps Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt at an event at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, center, fist bumps Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt at an event at the National Governors Association Winter Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Allison Robbert)<\/p>\n

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Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan<\/a>, a Republican who occasionally disagreed with Trump, said it was a \u201cmistake\u201d for the White House not to include all governors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere never was a huge amount of real work that got accomplished but it was a nice thing annually to bring all the governors \u2014 Republicans and Democrats \u2014 together,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cI know there\u2019s a lot of friction but it just seems in everybody\u2019s best interest even if you passionately disagree and you don\u2019t like the other person or you\u2019re mad about whatever, it can\u2019t hurt to be in the same room together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the White House meeting, some governors also shared pointed criticisms of the administration\u2019s ever-expanding power. They bemoaned the unwillingness of the Republican-controlled Congress<\/a> to limit Trump\u2019s ambitions and they cast themselves as counterweights to the executive. <\/p>\n

\u201cPresidents aren\u2019t supposed to do this stuff,\u201d Cox said. \u201cCongress needs to get their act together. And stop performing for TikTok and actually start doing stuff. That\u2019s the flaw we\u2019re dealing with right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cox added that \u201cit is up to the states to hold the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Presidential buzz runs alongside the conference<\/p>\n

As governors cycled through panels and interviews, one question hovered: Who among them might seek the presidency in 2028? <\/p>\n

Moore and Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a> of Pennsylvania were among the potential Democratic presidential contenders in Washington this week. Other Democrats, including Govs. Gavin Newsom<\/a> of California and JB Pritzker<\/a> of Illinois, were not in town.<\/p>\n

Stitt and Moore, during a panel discussion, both declined to rule out a future bid and emphasized their focus on their home states.<\/p>\n

Gov. Andy Beshear<\/a>, D-Ky., took a more open approach. He arrived in Washington days after announcing he would release a book this fall and fielded questions at a Center for American Progress event about how he might campaign for president if he enters the race.<\/p>\n

Asked afterward about his timeline for a decision, Beshear said his focus this year remains on Kentucky and \u201cthen after that, I\u2019ll sit down with my family and we\u2019ll consider it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The National Governors Association is pulling out of an annual meeting at the White House…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,8627,3506,3505,12,2013,793,67877,10476,8629,78204,221478,8640,8641,3,9601,9600,111,72335,8638,795,3438,21,792,19,22,20,25,24,800,8630],"class_list":{"0":"post-479408","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-andy-beshear","10":"tag-dc-wire","11":"tag-district-of-columbia","12":"tag-donald-trump","13":"tag-gavin-newsom","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-j-b-pritzker","16":"tag-jared-polis","17":"tag-josh-shapiro","18":"tag-kevin-stitt","19":"tag-larry-hogan","20":"tag-maryland","21":"tag-md-state-wire","22":"tag-news","23":"tag-ok-state-wire","24":"tag-oklahoma","25":"tag-politics","26":"tag-spencer-cox","27":"tag-u-s-democratic-party","28":"tag-u-s-news","29":"tag-u-s-republican-party","30":"tag-united-states","31":"tag-united-states-government","32":"tag-united-states-of-america","33":"tag-unitedstates","34":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","35":"tag-us","36":"tag-usa","37":"tag-washington-news","38":"tag-wes-moore"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=479408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/479408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/479409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=479408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=479408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=479408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}