President Trump on Wednesday assailed Oklahoma’s Republican governor, escalating his dispute with the National Governors Association over its annual bipartisan gathering at the White House.
Mr. Trump lashed out at Gov. Kevin Stitt on social media, accusing him of misrepresenting his position about the meeting. The president also expressed regret for endorsing him.
The rebuke came in response to Mr. Stitt, chair of the National Governors Association, telling NGA members that the organization would not meet with the president at the White House during its annual meeting in Washington.
Mr. Stitt removed the Trump meeting from the agenda after the White House informed the NGA that only Republicans would be included in the Feb. 20 event.
Mr. Trump said Mr. Stitt’s assertion that only Republican governors were invited to the meeting was false. The president also hailed his decision to exclude Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado.
“The RINO governor of the great state of Oklahoma in which I won all 77 counties three times (the only person to do so!) incorrectly stated my position on the very exclusive Governors Annual Dinner and Meeting at the White House,” Mr. Trump posted late Wednesday. “The invitations were sent to ALL governors, other than two, who I feel are not worthy of being there.”
In a follow-up post, Mr. Trump lobbed barbs at Mr. Stitt.
“When Kevin Stitt, the very mediocre (at best!) RINO Governor of Oklahoma was losing his election to a democrat, primarily because he did a bad job, he called for my help. I endorsed him, and he won — sorry my cherished Oklahoma to have done that to you!” the president posted.
Mr. Stitt on Monday sent a letter to NGA members saying a meeting with the president that did not include Democratic governors would run counter to the group’s mission of representing all governors, including those 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. “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 Feb. 19-21 in Washington. 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.
Mr. Trump did not say why he chose to exclude Mr. Moore and Mr. Polis.
“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.
Mr. Moore, who is a Black man and 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 pressured Mr. Polis to release Tina Peters from prison following her presidential pardon. 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 presidential pardon does not apply 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 groups in which political leaders from both parties gather to discuss the issues facing their states and territories. 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 his 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 said her political career would be over if she opposed the order. She is currently running for Senate.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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