Wes Moore calls Trump’s Baltimore event a ‘circus’ after White House speaking snub

Moore says he declined to attend after being told he could not speak about the multibillion-dollar deal his administration helped secure.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore called out the White House on Tuesday after he was told he could not speak at an event in Baltimore, where President Donald Trump is announcing new manufacturing investments that the governor says he helped broker.

“If the president of the United States wants to bring the circus into town and tell me that I’m not allowed to speak to the fact that we were the one to help bring the deal, then I will let the circus be conducted while I go back to the work of the people,” Moore told reporters when asked about the White House snub.

Governor Moore, who is running for re-election for a second term on Nov. 3, said he would not attend the scheduled White House event after being told by the Trump administration that he could not deliver remarks.

“This was a deal that we helped bring,” Moore said of the reported $3.7 billion investment by Andural Industries, a U.S. defense contractor, to build a new shipyard facility in Baltimore County to manufacture parts for Virginia-class submarines.

Moore said the investment will be the “largest private investment that we have seen in over a decade” in Maryland and will bring 3,100 jobs. He told reporters, “We are very proud of the fact that we have been working with them for over a year to bring them on board, and we’re excited about what it’s going to mean to the area.”

In response, the Trump White House dismissed Governor Moore’s criticisms and accused the U.S. Army and Army Reserve veteran of “throwing a tantrum.”

“President Trump is willing to work with anyone to revitalize our manufacturing sector, which is why the White House graciously invited Governor Moore to attend today’s event as a guest,” a White House official told The Hill. “It’s unfortunate that the Governor is now making a multi-billion-dollar announcement about himself by throwing a tantrum over an announcement that will bring sorely needed jobs back to his state thanks to President Trump.”

A spokesperson for Moore said he will “work with anyone when it comes to delivering for Marylanders” but added that the governor and rumored 2028 presidential candidate would “bow to no one when it comes to standing up” for residents.

“The governor is proud to welcome Anduril to Baltimore County and the thousands of permanent jobs this investment is bringing to our state,” the spokesperson added. 

President Trump and Governor Moore have repeatedly clashed over the years, most notably when Trump uninvited Moore to a typically bipartisan White House dinner with the nation’s governors. The two leaders have also had conflicts over policy and funding, including the Trump administration’s refusal to provide Maryland with federal disaster relief following major floods caused by a storm.

This latest clash comes as Trump seeks to tout political wins for his administration and the Republican Party ahead of Election Day.

In a previous interview with theGrio, Governor Moore slammed Trump’s election conspiracies about voter fraud, which have resulted in the president pushing voter restriction laws, including attempts to restrict mail-in voting. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down his executive order that allowed the U.S. Postal Service to reject mailed ballots that did not match a federal database of eligible voters.

Days before Trump delivered remarks at a press conference on election integrity, Moore told theGrio, “Instead of giving a press conference about the fact that we are fighting foreign forever wars that are costing everybody, instead of giving a press conference about the fact that everything from energy prices to food prices to gas prices have skyrocketed, instead of giving a press conference about why we continue to have a government cover-up of an international pedophile ring, we’re having conversations about something that has been widely rebuked.”