White House dinner closes a turbulent week for governors in Washington

Source: AP

Updated 8:29 PM EST, February 21, 2026


WASHINGTON (AP) — The annual dinner with governors at the White House is typically a chance for leaders from both parties to come together, socialize and spend a low-key evening with the president. But like many traditions during President Donald Trump’s second term, Saturday’s dinner has proven unusually controversial.

Ahead of this week’s gathering of the National Governors Association, Trump ridiculed the bipartisan group’s leadership, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Democratic Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland. He refused to invite Moore, along with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, to a working event at the White House on Friday — only to relent at the last minute.

Then the event ended shortly after Trump learned of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down his sweeping tariff policy.

Dozens of Democrats had threatened to boycott Saturday’s dinner if members of their party were blocked from Friday’s meeting. But even after Moore’s attendance, some said they still wouldn’t show up. “President Trump has made this whole thing a farce,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-wes-moore-kevin-stitt-governors-dinner-58d6381ed18334e8c35af35ef2ce4122