By Trendsetter Tribune 
On Sunday, February 8, 2026, Maryland Governor Wes Moore publicly addressed his exclusion from a traditional white-tie dinner at the White House, suggesting that his role as the nation’s only sitting Black governor adds a specific “weight” to the decision.
The dinner is a long-standing tradition associated with the National Governors Association (NGA) winter meeting, intended to foster bipartisan cooperation between state leaders and the President.
The Exclusion Controversy
While President Trump has reportedly restricted the broader NGA winter meeting to only Republican governors, the black-tie dinner guest list has become a specific point of contention.
- Targeted Omissions: While “many” Democratic governors were invited to the dinner, Governor Wes Moore (NGA Vice Chair) and Colorado Governor Jared Polis were specifically uninvited or excluded.
- The “Weight” of Race: Moore noted that as the only Black governor currently in office, being singled out for exclusion from a bipartisan tradition is “particularly painful.”
- White House Response: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and other officials maintained that these are “White House events” and the President “reserves the right to invite whomever he wants.”
The NGA’s Response: Revoking Official Status
In a significant move for the traditionally non-partisan organization, the National Governors Association has reportedly decided to strip the White House event of its “official” status due to the exclusion of its own leadership.
“The NGA will not support this dinner… If the president wants to have a black-tie dinner with his friends, that is perfectly fine. It will not be an NGA event.” — Gov. Wes Moore
The NGA confirmed via email that no association resources will be used to support transportation or logistics for the White House gathering, effectively turning the dinner into a private political event rather than a state-federal summit.
Background: Tensions Between Moore and Trump
The friction between the Maryland Governor and the President has intensified throughout early 2026 over several key issues:
- Immigration & Policing: Moore has been a vocal critic of the administration’s use of the National Guard for domestic law enforcement and strict border policies.
- Redistricting: Moore is leading a Democratic push to redraw Maryland’s voting maps as a counter-strategy to GOP redistricting efforts in other states.
- The “Ape” Video Controversy: The exclusion comes just days after the White House deleted a social media post depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. While the White House blamed a staffer for the “erroneous” post, Trump has refused to apologize, further straining relations with Black political leaders like Moore.+1
Historic Context
Wes Moore is only the third Black governor ever elected in U.S. history, following L. Douglas Wilder (Virginia, 1990) and Deval Patrick (Massachusetts, 2007). His exclusion as the Vice Chair of the NGA is being cited by allies as an unprecedented break in diplomatic protocol between the executive branch and state governments.