WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump attacked the Republican leader of the National Governors Association on Wednesday as tensions mounted between the White House and the bipartisan group of state leaders ahead of its annual meeting next week.
In a social media post, Trump blasted Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who chairs the NGA, as a “RINO,” meaning Republican in Name Only. Trump said Stitt “incorrectly stated my position on the very exclusive Governors Annual Dinner and Meeting at the White House.”
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The dispute centers on whether Trump would allow governors from both major parties to participate in the full range of White House events, which typically includes a business meeting and meal. In a letter to fellow governors on Monday, Stitt said the NGA was informed that the White House planned to limit invitations to the business meeting to Republicans. That prompted an outcry from Democrats, who said they wouldn't participate in the meal if they weren’t fully included at the business meeting.
By Wednesday, Stitt connected with Trump on the phone and followed up with an email to fellow governors.
“I am writing to inform you that President Donald J. Trump is inviting all governors of the 55 States and territories to the Friday, Feb. 20 NGA Business Breakfast at 8:30am est.,” Stitt wrote. “He was very clear in his communications with me that this is a National Governors Association’s event, and he looks forward to hosting you and hearing from governors across the country. President Donald Trump said this was always his intention, and we have addressed the misunderstanding in scheduling.”
Trump, however, struck a far more adversarial tone in his social media post, calling Stitt's Monday letter “false.”
“The invitations were sent to ALL Governors, other than two, who I feel are not worthy of being there,” he wrote, referring to Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Jared Polis of Colorado.
Trump added: “I look forward to seeing the Republican Governors, and some of the Democrats Governors who were worthy of being invited, but most of whom won’t show up.”
Following Trump's post, Brandon Tatum, the NGA's chief executive, stood by the group's timeline of events.
“As of Tuesday evening, only Republican Governors received invites from the White House for the Friday morning business meeting,” he said in a statement. “We are hopeful that we can have constructive bipartisan dialogue with the President during the session. Continuing the tradition of the business meeting is an important step toward bridge building among parties.”
For now, it's unclear how many Democrats will show up at the White House. Some, including Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, said Wednesday they didn't plan to attend the meeting. Others, such as Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut, signaled they would participate.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that Trump has “discretion to invite anyone he wants to the White House.”
The spat is a reminder of the challenge facing bipartisan or nonpartisan organizations in Trump's Washington. The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which includes city leaders from both parties, met in Washington earlier this month but wasn't invited to the White House.
The governor's meeting, typically a low-key event, took a sharper edge last year when Trump returned to the White House.
The president singled out Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, over his administration's effort to bar transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. He threatened to withhold federal funding from the state if she did not comply, prompting Mills to retort, “We’ll see you in court.”
Trump predicted that Mills’ political career would be over for opposing the order, though she is now running for U.S. Senate on a staunch anti-Trump agenda.
The back-and-forth had a lasting impact on last year’s conference and some Democratic governors did not renew their dues last year to the bipartisan group.
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Associated Press journalists Tran Nguyen in Sacramento, California, and Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report