Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) expressed confusion and frustration over President Trump not inviting him and other Democratic governors to a meeting at the White House.
Moore wrote on the social platform X on Sunday that he was “uninvited” to the National Governors Association (NGA) dinner, which is typically attended by state executives of both parties. Moore was elected by Democratic and Republican governors to serve as vice chair of the NGA last July and will take over as the group’s chair this year, succeeding Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R).
The New York Times first reported Friday that Trump was only inviting GOP governors to the meeting and did not invite Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) to a bipartisan dinner for governors and their families.
The Maryland Democrat added the move is “especially confounding” considering that “just weeks ago,” he was part of a bipartisan group of governors that went to the White House to work with the Trump administration on reforms to lower energy costs.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Moore said that he has a “commitment” from the NGA that it will not sponsor the event.
“In this time, the president cannot use this time to divide our organization,” he told host Dana Bash. “Our organization stands firm that, if you exclude one, you exclude us all, and this will not be an NGA event.”
Moore also referenced his status as the lone Black governor in the country in his social media post and during that interview. The 47-year-old is one of five Black governors, all men, in U.S. history and the first Black governor to lead Maryland.
“I have long learned that I’m not trying to get inside of the president’s psyche. It’s not a good use of my time,” Moore told CNN. “It’s not lost to me that I’m the only Black governor in this country. And I find that to be particularly painful, considering the fact that the president is trying to exclude me from an organization that not only my peers have asked me to help to lead, but then also a place where I know I belong in.”
He also said on X that his status as the only Black governor in the country means his lack of an invitation to the White House “carries an added weight — whether that was the intent or not.”
When Bash asked Moore whether he believes Trump excluded him from the event because of his race, the governor said, “Well, I don’t know. I can’t speak to the president’s intent.”
“It’s not lost on me, but I can’t speak to the president’s intent.”
