Maryland Governor Wes Moore has broken his silence after the Trump administration reportedly uninvited him from a traditionally bipartisan National Governors Association (NGA) dinner hosted by the president.
Responding on Sunday, Moore described the move as “blatant disrespect” and said it went against the spirit of bipartisan cooperation between state and federal leaders.
The governor also noted that the situation carried extra weight because he is currently the only sitting Black governor in the United States, WUSA9 reported.
“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 — whether that was the intent or not,” Moore wrote.
Moore said the decision was particularly confusing, considering he has recently been working with the Trump administration on issues such as lowering energy costs.
The Maryland governor currently serves as vice chair of the NGA’s executive committee, alongside Oklahoma Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, who is the chair. The committee itself is bipartisan, made up of four Republicans and five Democrats.
According to reports, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, also a Democrat, was similarly uninvited. However, 22 other Democratic governors — including several outspoken critics of President Trump — reportedly remained on the guest list.
The decision has drawn criticism from within the NGA. Chief Executive Officer Brandon Tatum said excluding individual governors weakens the association’s role as a bridge between states and the federal government.
“To disinvite individual governors to the White House sessions undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration,” he said.
The NGA has existed since 1908, dating back to the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, and has long been regarded as a bipartisan forum for governors across the United States.
For now, the White House has not publicly explained the reason behind the reported uninvitation.