Trump says nearly all governors invited to Feb. 20 White House meeting, except Wes Moore and Jared Polis

Lead: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that invitations to a traditionally bipartisan governors’ meeting at the White House on Feb. 20 were sent to governors from both parties, while naming two Democratic exceptions: Maryland’s Wes Moore and Colorado’s Jared Polis. That claim conflicted with the National Governors Association (NGA), which said the White House had agreed to invite all 55 governors and territorial executives. The dispute emerged after NGA leaders were told the White House initially intended to limit the business meeting to Republican governors. As the two sides trade statements, the fate of the customary bipartisan dinner and the terms of the Feb. 20 session remain unsettled.

Key takeaways

• President Trump posted that invitations to the Feb. 20 White House governors’ meeting were issued to “all other Governors” except Wes Moore and Jared Polis; his posts singled out those two Democrats and criticized NGA chair Kevin Stitt.
• The NGA said the White House will welcome governors from all 55 states and territories to the Feb. 20 business meeting, calling the session a valued bipartisan tradition.
• NGA chair Kevin Stitt wrote to fellow governors that the president is “inviting all governors” to the NGA Business Breakfast on the morning of Feb. 20 and that scheduling misunderstandings had been addressed.
• Earlier in the week the White House informed NGA officials that only Republican governors would be invited to the business meeting, prompting the NGA to remove the event from its formal agenda.
• A group of Democratic governors said they would not attend if invitations were limited; Moore had been invited on Wednesday afternoon according to a source, while Polis’s invitation status was not confirmed publicly.
• Trump publicly criticized Stitt as a “RINO” and a “wiseguy” in successive social-media posts; Stitt’s office said he had received his invitation and expected colleagues to be invited promptly.
• The disagreement highlights friction between the White House and the bipartisan NGA over protocol for an annual governors’ event held at the White House.

Background

The White House has long hosted an annual meeting with governors, historically combining a formal NGA business session in the morning with a traditionally bipartisan dinner or reception. The National Governors Association is a bipartisan organization that represents governors from 50 states and several U.S. territories and often facilitates intergovernmental discussions with the president and federal agencies. That institutional role means the NGA generally expects equal access for governors regardless of party, and it moves to preserve the meeting’s bipartisan framing when disputes arise.

This year’s session, scheduled for Feb. 20, became contentious after NGA officials said they were told by the White House that only Republican governors would be invited to the business meeting. The NGA notified governors and their staffs that the business meeting would be removed from the NGA’s formal agenda because limiting attendance to one party conflicted with the group’s bipartisan mission. In response, a bloc of Democratic governors publicly threatened to skip White House events if not all governors were included.

Main event

On Wednesday afternoon, President Trump posted on Truth Social that invitations to the Feb. 20 gathering “were sent to ALL governors” except Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado, and he criticized Kevin Stitt, the Oklahoma Republican who chairs the NGA. The post described invitations as having been dispatched broadly and framed Stitt as having misrepresented the president’s intentions.

Earlier statements from NGA leaders painted a different timeline. The NGA said Stitt had communicated with the White House and that the parties had agreed all governors would attend the Feb. 20 meeting. Brandon Tatum, the NGA’s CEO, said in a statement the association was “pleased the president will welcome governors from all 55 states and territories,” calling the White House meeting a valued bipartisan tradition and an opportunity to build bridges.

Stitt also emailed fellow governors, writing that the president was “inviting all governors” to the NGA Business Breakfast on Feb. 20 and that the misunderstanding had been addressed. An NGA official and copies of communications obtained by reporters show Stitt was told the White House had planned to limit the meeting to Republicans before that exchange; he then told governors the organization would no longer facilitate a partisan event.

Reporting indicates Wes Moore received an invitation on Wednesday afternoon, before Trump’s Truth Social post, though a source did not say if Moore will attend. A spokesperson for Jared Polis did not confirm whether Polis had received an invitation, instead reiterating the Colorado governor’s focus on bipartisan cooperation with peers and lamenting resistance from the federal administration to state-federal collaboration.

Analysis & implications

The episode underscores the political sensitivities of even routine intergovernmental meetings in a highly polarized environment. If the White House had attempted to restrict attendance by party, governors—particularly Democrats—saw that move as a substantive shift away from a long-standing bipartisan practice and toward a partisan signal. For Democratic governors, attending a truncated, one-party event could be read as endorsing exclusionary protocol; for Republicans, any reversal that restores full attendance may be presented as a corrective.

Institutionally, the NGA’s decision to remove the business meeting from its agenda when told invitations would be limited was a defensive step to preserve the association’s neutral convening role. That move forced the White House and NGA chair to clarify plans quickly; the ensuing public back-and-forth revealed how fragile procedural understandings can become flashpoints when political communications are imprecise or inconsistent.

In practical terms, the dispute could complicate federal-state cooperation on policy areas where governors typically seek engagement—disaster response, infrastructure, public health and budget negotiations. If trust between the White House and a bipartisan coalition of governors erodes, routine coordination could require additional bilateral outreach or formal agreements to reassure state executives of equal treatment.

Politically, the public spat offers both short- and medium-term consequences: it allocates political messaging for both parties ahead of upcoming state and national races and forces governors to weigh the optics of attending or skipping White House events. The resolution—whether by all governors attending, some continuing to boycott, or the White House altering the format—will shape perceptions of presidential outreach to state leadership.

Comparison & data

The table outlines three competing accounts: the president’s public post, the NGA’s formal statement, and NGA communications that described an initial plan to limit invitations. These discrete claims intersect on the same factual core—who will be permitted to attend on Feb. 20—but differ in attribution and timing. Clarifying the guest list and the format of the business meeting and dinner is the immediate factual question; whether the dispute reflects miscommunication, shifting plans, or intentional exclusion is a separate, interpretive matter.

Reactions & quotes

Public and institutional responses were swift. NGA leadership framed the episode as a restoration of the meeting’s bipartisan character and emphasized the value of inclusion:

“We’re pleased the president will welcome governors from all 55 states and territories to the White House. The bipartisan White House governors meeting is a valued tradition and an important opportunity to build bridges and hold constructive conversations.”

Brandon Tatum, CEO, National Governors Association (statement)

President Trump used social media to both assert the breadth of invitations and to criticize the NGA chair’s handling of communications:

“The Invitations were sent out to all other Governors, Democrat and Republican.”

President Donald Trump (Truth Social post)

NGA chair Kevin Stitt told fellow governors the misunderstanding had been addressed and that the president intended to invite all governors to the business breakfast:

“He was very clear in his communications with me that this is a National Governors Association’s event, and he looks forward to hosting you and hearing from governors across the country.”

Kevin Stitt, NGA chair (email to governors)

Unconfirmed

• Whether Jared Polis had received a formal invitation by the time of reporting was not publicly confirmed by the governor’s office.
• Whether President Trump originally intended to exclude Democrats from the Feb. 20 events, or whether that was a scheduling miscommunication, remains unclear.
• The final plan for the traditional bipartisan dinner—whether it will proceed as customarily organized, be modified, or be canceled—had not been confirmed publicly at the time of reporting.

Bottom line

The episode is primarily about procedural access: who is invited, who convenes the meeting, and how tradition and partisan politics intersect in intergovernmental forums. The NGA insists all 55 governors and territorial executives will be invited, while the president’s posts identified two Democratic governors as exceptions—an assertion the NGA’s account calls into question. That divergence has immediate practical implications for which governors choose to attend and for the optics of presidential outreach to state leaders.

What to watch next: whether the White House or NGA issues a definitive, public guest list; whether Moore and Polis confirm attendance; and whether Democratic governors who threatened a boycott will follow through if invitations are confirmed. The resolution will determine whether the Feb. 20 session restores routine bipartisan engagement or becomes another flashpoint in partisan competition over access and protocol.

Sources

• NBC News (news reporting — original story)
• National Governors Association (NGA) (official organization of U.S. governors)