Republican and Democratic governors took a stand when President Trump uninvited two Democratic governors – including the nation’s only sitting Black governor, Wes Moore, from the annual National Governor’s Association dinner.
The exclusions are seen as yet another attack against Democrats by President Trump.
The NGA black-tie dinner is hosted annually by the president at the White House. Which means the president gets to decide who is invited.
White governors from the Republican and Democratic parties took a stand when Trump uninvited Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who is Black, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis from the dinner.
It isn’t clear why Trump decided to ban 2 Democrat governors from the White House dinner.
Gov. Moore suggested his race may be a factor in his exclusion from the upcoming dinner.
“It’s not lost on me that I’m the only Black governor in this country, and I find that to be particularly painful, considering the fact that the president is trying to exclude me from an organization that not only my peers have asked me to help to lead, but then also a place where I know I belong in,” Moore said in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Other Democratic governors who were invited have declined their invitations, according to The Root.
“I ain’t going,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told “The View” hosts on Monday, Feb. 9. He added, “If he’s not going to invite us to the business section, I’m not going to go to dinner, the social section. You know, my job is to get things done for our people, and so they will be without me.”
Beshear added: “This should concern everyone.”
The White House said in a statement:
“Many Democrats were invited to dinner at the White House, and others were not. These are White House events and the President reserves the right to invite whomever he wants.”
The NGA meetings and White House dinner will take place Feb. 19-21.
