Governors arrive in Washington eager to push past Trump's partisan grip

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, arrived in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, February 19 2026, to kick off the National Governors Association’s annual conference. The event is taking place amid President Donald Trump’s refusal to invite all governors to a traditional White House meeting and dinner, a move that has disrupted long‑standing bipartisan norms. Stitt and Moore, who serve as the Association’s chair and vice‑chair respectively, exchanged jokes and compliments onstage—an act of cooperation that has become increasingly rare under Trump’s confrontational leadership of his second term. During the weekend, the governors highlighted their willingness to collaborate across party lines even as Trump has called Stitt a “RINO” and blamed Moore for a sewage spill involving a federally regulated pipeline. Trump’s broader expansion of executive power—such as withholding federal funds and deploying troops to states—has prompted governors—like Utah Governor Spencer Cox, who urged Congress to “get their act together”—to position themselves as a counterweight to the White House. Despite the tension, the governors remain optimistic about the three‑day conference. Stitt described it as “bigger than one dinner at the White House,” while Moore reiterated that governors had a unique way to move in the current political climate. The emphasis on bipartisan dialogue coincides with Trump’s departure from the customary White House hosting culture. He declined to invite Governors from a range of states and openly criticized those he deemed “not worthy of being there.” The conference now serves as a potentially rare forum where Republicans and Democrats can argue and share ideas—allegedly the best way to generate new solutions. Whether this tone of cooperation will survive beyond the conference days and restore the National Governors Association’s status as a refuge from polarization remains uncertain, as Trump’s administration continues to challenge the balance of power between state and federal governments, and as the Republican‑controlled Congress resists curbing executive overreach.