The governors’ annual Washington meeting hits chaos after Trump makes it partisan

The National Governors Association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., has been thrown into turmoil after President Trump moved to exclude Democratic governors from key White House events. As reported by the Associated Press, the decision has upended what has traditionally been one of the few bipartisan forums for state leaders.

The gathering is typically organized as a rare opportunity for governors from both parties to meet with federal officials and discuss shared policy challenges. This year, however, the National Governors Association has decided it will not hold a formal meeting with President Trump during the conference.

The disruption began after the White House planned events that would include only Republican governors. In response, 18 Democratic governors announced they would boycott the traditional White House dinner, citing the break from what they described as a long-standing bipartisan tradition.

Bipartisan forum breaks down under pressure

In a joint statement, Democratic governors said they would not attend if reports were true that not all governors were invited to events that had historically fostered collaboration. The standoff comes as Washington is already grappling with stories like Trump’s threat to block the US-Canada bridge until “full compensation” is met.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican who serves as chair of the National Governors Association, confirmed the White House’s plan in a letter to fellow governors. He said invitations to the association’s annual business meeting on February 20 were intended to be limited to Republican governors, prompting the NGA to remove the event from its official program.

Stitt told governors that the organization would no longer facilitate the meeting under those conditions. Brandon Tatum, the NGA’s chief executive officer, later said the White House meeting was an important tradition and expressed disappointment that it was being turned into a partisan occasion.

In his letter, Stitt urged governors not to let the dispute derail the broader purpose of the gathering. He wrote that leaders should avoid responding in kind and instead remain focused on their shared responsibilities to the people they serve, as broader controversy continues around federal policy changes that some say have quietly cost Americans billions.

The White House defended the move on Tuesday. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump has discretion over whom he invites to the White House, noting that while it is “the people’s house,” it is also the president’s residence.

Partisan tensions at the governors’ meeting are not new. Last year’s gathering included a public confrontation between Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills over his push to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, during which Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from the state.

That exchange had lingering effects, with some Democratic governors declining to renew their NGA memberships afterward. This year’s exclusion of Democratic governors appears to have further strained the group’s ability to function as a bipartisan forum.