Gov. Wes Moore attends White House governors' meeting after initial snub
Governor Wes Moore met with President Donald Trump at the White House, along with several other state governors, for the annual National Governors' Association meeting on Friday.
It came out that Gov. Moore was initially not invited to the breakfast, but the White House changed course at the last minute.
"I guess we're going to be asking the press to leave, and that way we're going to talk very candidly," President Trump told reporters before the gathering.
Ten Democratic and 12 Republican governors attended the closed-door meeting, including Gov. Moore, despite the president previously disinviting him, stating he was "not worthy" of attending.
"We think it's important to have these opportunities because it shows not just that bipartisanship is important, but it's alive," said Gov. Moore.
Gov. Moore, who serves as the vice chair of the NGA, previously suggested he may have been uninvited from the event because he is the nation's only black governor.
However, on Friday morning, he released a statement saying he would attend after the White House reinvited him, saying in part, "I will attend today's business meeting with my colleagues at the White House. But let me be abundantly clear: I will not participate in political stunts."
Gov. Wes Moore says meeting with Trump was productive
Afterwards, Gov. Moore said the meeting was productive.
"We had a chance to talk about the things that matter to the people of our state. We had a chance to speak with cabinet secretaries about energy prices and how we have to have a singular focus to bring energy prices down," said Gov. Moore.
He said they also had the chance to speak with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about the Key Bridge, but did not go into detail about what was said.
What's most important, according to him, is that governors from both sides of the aisle put their differences aside to work together and discuss issues that plague all Americans.
"We're grateful to have had the opportunity to have a conversation and know that there is nothing that we won't do to make sure that our people are protected," said Gov. Moore.