The move angered Democratic state leaders, who believe it breaks with the bipartisan tradition of these meetings and deepens the political divide within the White House The controversy arose after media outlets revealed that some Democratic governors—including Wes Moore (Maryland) and Jared Polis (Colorado)—were not invited to a dinner that was originally intended as a forum for dialogue between the two parties. When asked about this, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the decision, stating that although the White House is “the people's house,” it is also the president's residence, and he can decide who to invite to his events. However, the response did not quell the criticism. More than 18 sitting governors chose not to attend the dinner as a sign of protest. In a joint statement, the Democratic governors affirmed that these meetings have historically served as productive spaces for cross-party collaboration. “If it is true that not all governors are being invited to these bipartisan events, we will not attend the White House dinner this year,” they stated. They also emphasized that they will continue working together to defend the interests of their states. For his part, Wes Moore told CNN that he could not ignore the fact that he is the only African American governor in the country and that the exclusion was especially painful. Meanwhile, Politico reported that the National Governors Association (NGA) decided not to sponsor the meeting after learning that only Republicans would be attending, and determined that no organizational resources would be used for transportation or event organization.