Feb. 9, 2026, 7:59 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is excluding at least two Democratic governors from a White House dinner this month with the nation’s governors as he breaks from the historically bipartisan nature of the annual gathering.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis ‒ both regular Democratic targets of Trump ‒ have been disinvited from the White House dinner with the National Governors Association.
In addition, Trump is only inviting Republican governors to a winter meeting between the White House and NGA that has traditionally featured all governors from both parties.
The meeting and dinner are set to take place when the NGA meets in Washington, DC from Feb. 19 to 21.
“The bipartisan White House governors meeting is an important tradition, and we are disappointed in the administration’s decision to make it a partisan occasion this year,” Brandon Tatum, CEO of the National Governors Association, said in a statement. “To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration.”
The New York Times first reported Trump’s changes to the White House events. It was not immediately clear why only Moore and Polis were snubbed from the dinner and not other Democrats whom Trump has criticized.
“Many Democrats were invited to dinner at the White House, and others were not,” a White House official said in a statement. “These are White House events and the President reserves the right to invite whomever he wants.”
Trump last year clashed with Moore over the president’s threats to send the National Guard into Baltimore, even suggesting at one point he could withhold funds to help with the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Trump has attacked Polis repeatedly and used the federal government to punish Colorado over the state’s imprisonment of Tina Peters. The former county clerk in Colorado was convicted of multiple crimes for letting someone access data from a secure voting system in an effort to prove unsubstantiated 2020 election conspiracies.
In recent weeks, Trump has blocked the completion of a major water pipeline in Colorado, pulled grant dollars from the state and moved to dismantle a major climate research center.
“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,” said Moore, who serves as vice president of the NGA, in a post on X.
He said being excluded from the gathering with governors is “especially confounding,” given that he was part of a bipartisan group of governors that met with Trump three weeks ago to discuss reforms to lower energy costs.
“I’m ready to work with the administration anywhere we can deliver results. Yet, I promised the people of my state I will work with anybody but will bow down to nobody,” Moore said. “And I guess the President doesn’t like that.”
Polis was not given a reason for why he was excluded from the dinner. Eric Maruyama, the governor’s deputy press secretary, said in a statement, “This is a disappointing decision for a traditionally bipartisan event between Governors and whoever occupies the White House.”
During Trump’s meeting with governors in 2025, the president had a memorable confrontation with Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, over his threat to withhold federal funds from states that allow transgender athletes to play in girls’ and women’s sports.
A heated exchange between Trump and Mills erupted as the president addressed the group. It ended with the governor telling Trump, “We’ll see you in court.”
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
