The National Governors Association will no longer hold a formal meeting with President Trump after he excluded Democratic governors from the annual event, breaking a long-standing bipartisan tradition.
In a letter sent late Monday, NGA Chairman and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, said a meeting without Democratic governors would run counter to the group’s mission of representing all governors, including from U.S. territories.
“NGA staff was informed that the White House intends to limit invitations to the annual business meeting, scheduled for February 20 to Republican governors only,” Mr. Stitt wrote in the letter to fellow governors obtained by The Associated Press. “Because NGA’s mission is to represent all 55 governors, the Association is no longer serving as the facilitator for that event and it is no longer included in our official program.”
The event is scheduled to take place in Washington from Feb. 19-21. Mr. Trump is still planning to hold a separate bipartisan dinner for governors and their spouses at the White House as part of NGA activities.
However, Mr. Trump did not extend invitations to two Democrats, Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland and Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado.
“The president has discretion to invite whomever he wants to the White House and he welcomes all those who received an invitation to come and if they don’t want to, that’s their loss,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during Tuesday’s press briefing.
Ms. Leavitt said Mr. Moore was invited last year, but chose not to come.
The NGA did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Moore, who is vice chair of the NGA, said Sunday that race might have been a factor in the decision to exclude him.
“My peers, both Democrats and Republicans, selected me to serve as the Vice Chair of the NGA, another reason why it’s hard not to see this decision as another example of blatant disrespect and a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership,” Mr. Moore said.
“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,” he said.
Over the past few months, Mr. Trump has been pressuring Mr. Polis to release Tina Peters from prison following her presidential pardon. Ms. Peters was convicted on state charges arising from a scheme to tamper with voting systems driven by Mr. Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was rigged.
A president’s pardon power does not extend to state crimes.
A spokesperson for Mr. Polis called excluding him “a disappointing decision for a traditionally bipartisan event.”
The NGA is one of the few remaining groups where political leaders from both parties gather to discuss the issues facing their states and territories in a bipartisan manner. Mr. Stitt encouraged the governors to put aside Mr. Trump’s broadside and focus on what unites them.
“We cannot allow one divisive action to achieve its goal of dividing us,” he wrote. “The solution is not to respond in kind, but to rise above and remain focused on our shared duty to the people we serve. America’s governors have always been models of pragmatic leadership and that example is most important when Washington grows distracted by politics.”
Partisan rancor erupted during last year’s NGA meeting at the White House when Mr. Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, exchanged words over the president’s push to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ events.
Mr. Trump threatened to pull federal funding from the state if Ms. Mills did not comply, to which she responded, “We’ll see you in court.”
He then responded that her political career would be over if she opposed the order. She is currently running for U.S. Senate.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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