Donald Trump is attacking the Republican governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, as part of a public spat over a reported decision to exclude Democrats from an upcoming series of usually bipartisan events gathering governors at the White House.
In a series of Truth Social posts on Wednesday afternoon, Trump lashed out at the “mediocre” Stitt, who chairs the National Governors Association, alleging that the Oklahoma leader was incorrect about the president’s plans for the events, which include a meeting and dinner at the White House.
“The invitations were sent to ALL Governors, other than two, who I feel are not worthy of being there,” Trump wrote of the dinner and meeting.
“I even invited the SLOB of a Governor, JB Pritzker, and horrendous California Governor, Gavin Newscum, to the Dinner, despite the terrible job that they are doing,” Trump added. “So, as usual with him, Stitt got it WRONG!”
Trump said he had only excluded Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, whom he attacked for the ongoing prison sentence of a former clerk who tried to undermine the results of the 2020 election, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, whom Trump claimed was “foul mouthed” and had lied about his military record and allowed Baltimore to become a “Crime Disaster.”
(Moore has called the military issue, in which he once listed himself as a Bronze Star winner on a fellowship application when he was merely recommended for the award at the time, an “honest mistake.”)
The Independent has contacted the offices of governors Stitt, Moore, and Polis for comment.
The White House previously defended the decision to leave some Democrats out of the dinner.
“Many Democrats were invited to dinner at the White House, and others were not,” a White House official told USA Today earlier this week. “These are White House events and the President reserves the right to invite whomever he wants.”
Shortly before the president sent out his Truth Social posts, Stitt wrote to his fellow governors about next week’s events in Washington.
In the message shared with The Independent, Stitt said that Trump was “inviting all governors of the 55 States and territories” to a business breakfast on February 20.
“President Trump said this was always his intention, and we have addressed the misunderstanding in scheduling,” Stitt added.
Previously, the NGA had said the administration decided to make the White House meeting Republicans-only, while Gov. Moore said he had been “uninvited” from the associated dinner, a decision he said carried extra sting based on the fact that he is the nation’s only Black governor.
The apparent snubs prompted the NGA to initially say it would no longer serve as the facilitator for the meeting, while more than a dozen Democrats announced they would boycott the dinner event.
“We’re pleased the president will welcome governors from all 55 states and territories to the White House,” Dr. Brandon Tatum, CEO of the NGA, wrote in a web statement updated on Wednesday. “The bipartisan White House governors meeting is a valued tradition and an important opportunity to build bridges and hold constructive conversations. The NGA looks forward to continued collaboration between governors and the White House.”
Trump and Stitt have sparred in the past.
The Oklahoma governor, who leaves office in 2027 and won’t be able to seek reelection because of term limits, criticized the Trump administration’s practice of using out-of-state National Guard troops as part of his law enforcement crackdown in places like Illinois.
“We believe in the federalist system — that’s states’ rights,” Stitt told The New York Times. “Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”
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