The National Governors Association has decided to cancel its annual White House meeting after President Donald Trump invited only Republican governors, departing from the event’s usual bipartisan tradition.
Bipartisan Tradition Abandoned
The NGA, the collective voice of the nation’s governors, which typically organizes a bipartisan meeting for state leaders to interact with each other and the president, has decided to cancel this year’s event.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) announced on Monday that the NGA would no longer facilitate the event, according to an Associated Press report.
The decision followed reports that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), the nation’s sole Black governor and NGA vice chair, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) were excluded from the invitation list.
The decision to exclude Democratic governors from the White House meeting sparked controversy and led to the cancellation of the event.
Democratic Governors Boycott
On Tuesday, 18 Democratic governors, including leaders from major states such as California, New York, and Illinois, said they would boycott the White House dinner set for the Feb. 19-21 NGA meeting.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker previously voiced his disapproval, stating that he would not attend the White House dinner with the President and calling on his Republican colleagues to do the same.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, earlier defended the president’s approach, stating, “It’s also the president’s home, and he can invite whomever he wants to dinners and events here at the White House.”Â
Shutterstock/ Phil Pasquini
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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