Democrats excluded from White House traditionally bipartisan meeting : NPR
Maryland Governor Wes Moore participates in a discussion on bipartisanship at the National Press Club September 4, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
President Trump has forgone another White House tradition: meeting with every governor in the country.
The National Governors Association meets annually in Washington, D.C. and this year’s meeting is scheduled for next week. This traditionally bipartisan event is an opportunity for governors to meet with the president and discuss issues affecting their constituents. It is usually followed by a formal dinner. This year, the Trump administration invited only Republicans to the meeting and disinvited some Democratic governors from the planned formal dinner that would follow.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore is one of two uninvited governors. Moore said the decision sent the same message as the president’s recent decision refusal to apologize for posting a racist Obama meme.
“This message of disrespect – of his own personal feelings of supremacy – I think are deeply unhelpful reminders of the instability of his leadership,” Moore said.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed these exclusions during a press briefing Tuesday.
“This is the people’s house,” Leavitt said. “It’s also the president’s home, so he can invite whoever he wants to dinners and events here at the White House.”
Democratic leaders invited to the dinner said they would not attend the dinner. The National Governors Association said it will not “facilitate” events that do not include all governors, including next week’s dinner.
Moore discussed the dinner and his state’s redistricting with NPR’s Michel Martin. This interview took place before other Democratic leaders announced they would skip the dinner and before Leavitt’s press briefing.
Click the play button in the blue box above to listen to the full conversation.
