Maine Governor to Attend White House Governors Meeting After Invite Reversal

Gov. Janet Mills will attend the National Governors Association meeting at the White House, but will skip the traditional dinner.

Published on Feb. 13, 2026

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Gov. Janet Mills of Maine has reversed her earlier decision to boycott the upcoming National Governors Association meeting at the White House. Mills initially said she and other Democratic governors would skip the traditional White House dinner on Saturday, Feb. 21, after learning that the invitations to the Friday business meeting were initially limited to only Republican governors. However, the White House has since confirmed that all governors from both parties will be invited to the Friday meeting.

Why it matters

The annual White House gathering of the National Governors Association is traditionally a bipartisan event focused on state-federal cooperation. Mills' decision to attend the meeting, despite her past confrontations with President Trump, signals an effort to maintain open communication and collaboration between Maine and the federal government.

The details

After initially planning to boycott the event, Gov. Mills said she will now attend the NGA business meeting at the White House on Friday, Feb. 20, but will skip the traditional Saturday dinner. The dispute began earlier this week when NGA officials said the White House planned to limit invitations to only Republican governors, prompting Mills and other Democrats to threaten a boycott. However, the White House later confirmed that all governors from both parties will be invited to the Friday meeting.

  • The National Governors Association meeting at the White House is scheduled for Feb. 19-21, 2026.
  • The NGA business meeting that Gov. Mills will attend is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, 2026.
  • Gov. Mills had initially planned to boycott the traditional White House dinner on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.

The players

Gov. Janet Mills

The Democratic governor of Maine who will attend the National Governors Association meeting at the White House.

President Donald Trump

The former president who confronted Gov. Mills over Maine's refusal to comply with an executive order aimed at barring transgender athletes from competing on girls' and women's sports teams during a previous NGA meeting at the White House.

Wes Moore

The Democratic governor of Maryland who was initially excluded from the White House invitation list, prompting the boycott threat from Mills and other Democrats.

Jared Polis

The Democratic governor of Colorado who was also initially excluded from the White House invitation list.

Kevin Stitt

The Republican governor of Oklahoma and the current chair of the National Governors Association.

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What they’re saying

“I am planning to attend the annual NGA business meeting at the White House, ready to stand up for our state and Maine people. We've seen this president undermine the rule of law and trample on the constitution at every turn and try to attack and intimidate those who dare to stand up to him or disagree with him – like he did to me last year. I will not hesitate to stand up to him again to protect Maine.”

— Gov. Janet Mills (newscentermaine.com)

“Invitations to the Feb. 20 meeting 'were sent to ALL governors' except Moore and Polis.”

— President Donald Trump (NBC News)

“Trump was 'inviting all governors' to the Feb. 20 business breakfast and said the matter stemmed from a 'misunderstanding in scheduling'.”

— Gov. Kevin Stitt, Republican chair of the National Governors Association (NBC News)

What’s next

The National Governors Association meeting at the White House is scheduled to take place from February 19-21, 2026, with the business meeting Gov. Mills will attend occurring on Friday, February 20.

The takeaway

Gov. Janet Mills' decision to attend the National Governors Association meeting at the White House, despite her past confrontations with President Trump, demonstrates her commitment to maintaining open communication and collaboration between Maine and the federal government, even in the face of political tensions.