The National Governors Association (NGA) has canceled its official meeting with President Donald Trump, and eighteen Democratic governors have announced a total boycott of a traditional White House dinner. The unprecedented collapse of these bipartisan gatherings follows the administration’s decision to exclude key Democratic leaders from events that have historically served as a bridge between the federal government and state executives.
The rift became public after Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, the Republican chairman of the NGA, informed members on Monday that the White House intended to limit invitations for the February 20 business meeting to Republican governors only. Because the NGA’s core mission is to represent all 55 governors regardless of party, the association stripped the White House session from its official program. “To disinvite individual governors… undermines an important opportunity for federal-state collaboration,” said Brandon Tatum, CEO of the NGA, expressing deep disappointment over the shift toward partisanship.
The snub was felt most acutely by Maryland Governor Wes Moore, the NGA’s vice chairman, and Colorado Governor Jared Polis, both of whom were personally “uninvited” from the black-tie dinner for governors and their spouses. Moore, who is in line to become the next NGA chairman, labeled the decision as “blatant disrespect” and a “snub to the spirit of bipartisan federal-state partnership.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the move, stating that as the “people’s house” and the president’s home, Trump has the discretion to invite whomever he chooses.
The tension follows a year of escalating conflict between the Trump administration and several Democratic-led states over federal immigration enforcement and the deployment of the National Guard. Tensions had already spiked during the 2025 governors’ conference when Trump publicly threatened to withhold federal funding from Maine over policies regarding transgender athletes. That exchange led several Democratic governors to stop paying their NGA dues, signaling a fracture that has now culminated in a complete breakdown of the annual Washington summit.
This collapse of bipartisan cooperation at the highest levels of government highlights the increasingly polarized political landscape in 2026. With major Democratic governors—including potential future presidential contenders like Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom—standing united in their boycott, the divide between the White House and state capitals appears set to define the remaining years of the current administration.
