Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Feb 22: The annual White House dinner with US governors, traditionally a bipartisan and low-key social evening with the President, turned contentious this year amid political tensions during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Ahead of the National Governors Association (NGA) meeting, Trump publicly mocked the bipartisan group’s leadership — Republican Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Democratic Governor Wes Moore of Maryland. He initially declined to invite Moore and Colorado Governor Jared Polis to a working session at the White House on Friday, before reversing the decision at the last minute.
The working event concluded shortly after Trump was informed of the Supreme Court of the United States ruling striking down his sweeping tariff policy.
Several Democratic governors had threatened to boycott Saturday’s black-tie dinner if party members were excluded from Friday’s meeting. Although Moore eventually attended, some Democrats chose not to participate in the dinner. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey described the situation as a “farce” in a statement.
When the dinner commenced, no Democratic governors were seen in attendance. The gathering instead featured senior administration officials and Republican governors, seated at candlelit tables in the White House.
In brief remarks, Trump joked that governors look in the mirror and think they should be president. Without naming specific Democratic leaders, he criticised Maryland and Virginia while referring to a sewage spill in the Potomac River near Washington, blaming “incompetence” for the issue. The ruptured pipe is part of a federally regulated Washington-based utility overseen by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Vice President JD Vance, addressing the gathering, praised governors for making difficult decisions and remarked that those in their position are rarely blamed when problems arise.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who previously chaired the NGA and briefly challenged Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, recalled past dinners as rare opportunities for bipartisan engagement. He described the event as “a glowing evening in the White House” and recounted being seated one year with former Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo and getting to know her family.
Saturday’s final conference sessions focused on affordability and political civility. During a discussion on immigration, Moore and Stitt acknowledged that both parties had failed over decades to adequately address the issue. Stitt cautioned against political stereotypes, noting that many rural Oklahoma Trump voters privately expressed the need for immigrant workers to sustain their businesses.
Despite the controversy, Moore termed the conference a success, stating that attempts to divide governors and distract from their bipartisan mission had ultimately failed.