Why Are There 55 Governors Recognized by the National Governors Association?

Folks want to know why there are 55 governors recognized by the National Governors Association in the United States when there are only 50 states. Questions arose after President Donald Trump excluded Democratic governors from a bipartisan annual event at the White House. The National Governors Association Dinner is a formal event held every year at the White House in Washington, D.C, for state leaders.

However, being a petulant 79-year-old, Trump reportedly decided to only invite Republicans to the event, and according to CBS News, the president's decision not to invite the Democrats was "deliberate." Karoline Leavitt provided a lame explanation at a press conference on Feb. 10, 2026.

"The president has the discretion to invite whomever he wants to the White House, and he welcomes all those who received an invitation to come," she said. "And if they don't want to, that's their loss."

All the hoopla has people wondering why there are 55 governors when the U.S. only has 50 states, and the answer makes a lot of sense.

The reason there are 55 governors when the United States of America only has 50 states is that the U.S. actually has five additional commonwealths and territories. All 55 governors are members of the National Governors Association, which is a non-partisan organization that represents all of the U.S. states and territories regarding discussions with the federal government. The Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa are the five U.S. territories.

According to the Associated Press, the National Governors Association announced the organization was no longer holding the formal dinner after learning that Trump was only inviting Republican governors. Democratic governors also announced they would be boycotting the White House tradition.

"If the reports are true that not all governors are invited to these events, which have historically been productive and bipartisan opportunities for collaboration, we will not be attending the White House dinner this year," read a statement from the Democratic governors. "Democratic governors remain united and will never stop fighting to protect and make life better for people in our states.”

A business meeting is scheduled for Feb. 20, with the dinner scheduled for Feb. 21, and the Republican Governor of Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt (who chairs the NGA), wrote in a letter to his fellow governors that the White House planned to limit invitations to the event to Republican governors only.

"Because NGA's mission is to represent all 55 governors, the Association is no longer serving as the facilitator for that event, and it is no longer included in our official program," he wrote.

According to Koco 5 News, a staffer of the Oklahoma governor said the business meeting at the White House scheduled on Feb. 20 is allegedly for both the Republicans and the Democrats. USA Today reports that Trump initially disinvited two Democratic governors who'd been critical of Trump: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.