Maryland Gov. Wes Moore pushed back Sunday after learning he had been removed from a traditionally bipartisan National Governors Association dinner hosted by the White House, an event that typically includes governors from both parties.
The controversy follows Moore’s recent public defense of journalist Don Lemon after his arrest at a Minnesota protest. Moore wrote, “For more than 30 years, Don Lemon has used his work to hold truth to power and strengthen our democracy. His arrest after a protest in Minnesota is not only outrageous, It’s an attack on the First Amendment. Don’t should be released immediately.”
Moore said the decision carried added significance because he is the only sitting Black governor in the country. He described the move by the Trump administration as “blatant disrespect” and “a snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership.”
“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 – that was the intent or not,” Moore wrote Saturday.
He said the situation was “confounding,” noting that he has recently worked with the administration on efforts to reduce energy costs. Moore currently serves as vice chair of the NGA executive committee, which is chaired by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and includes members from both parties.
According to CNN, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, another Democrat, was also disinvited. The remaining 22 Democratic governors, including several vocal critics of the president, were still invited.
NGA CEO Brandon Tatum criticized the move, saying, “To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration.” The NGA dates back to 1908, during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency.