Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado attended Friday’s National Governors Association (NGA) business meeting at the White House after the Trump administration reinstated their invitations, reversing an earlier decision to exclude them.
The meeting marked the latest development in a back-and-forth over participation in the traditionally bipartisan gathering, which coincides with the NGA’s winter session in Washington.
Moore, who serves as vice chair of the NGA, said ahead of the meeting that he would attend but sought to draw a distinction between governing and politics.
“I will attend today’s business meeting with my colleagues at the White House. But let me be abundantly clear: I will not participate in political stunts,” Moore said in a statement. He added that he hoped to “lay out what Marylanders and Americans need” and find “a White House committed to delivering just that.”
Polis echoed a similar sentiment in a post on X, saying he has “always” been willing to work across party lines to improve his state. He said he and Moore decided to attend after the White House clarified that they were invited to the business session.
The dispute began last week when President Trump initially invited only Republican governors to the annual White House meeting, a departure from the event’s customary bipartisan format. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, the Republican chair of the NGA, responded by stating the organization would not support the meeting unless all Democratic governors were included.
Following that pushback, invitations were extended to Democratic governors. However, Moore and Polis were later informed that their invitations had been rescinded — a move that drew criticism and added uncertainty ahead of Friday’s session.
The White House ultimately reversed course again, restoring invitations to Moore and Polis shortly before the business breakfast was set to begin.
