The annual Governor’s meeting at the White House has kicked off.
Governors from all 50 states have come together at the White House for a dinner hosted by President Trump.
Here’s the moment Trump and Melania walked into the dinner in absolutely stunning fashion:
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump made a commanding entrance at the White House Governors Dinner.
— Brandon Straka #WalkAway (@BrandonStraka) February 22, 2026
America’s couple. pic.twitter.com/NfJ4cWhCET
Trump, who has done plenty of hosting at Mar-a-Lago throughout the years, made his guests feel at home:
🚨 JUST IN: The whole room is LIGHTING UP for President Trump, he's in pure HOST mode with all the governors and First Lady Melania Trump
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 22, 2026
This is 47 in his element! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/41oPDFQk9l
The dinner got started off the right way, too!
Before the Governors were set to eat, President Trump asked Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to start giving grace for the food.
The Daily Mail reported more on Trump asking Hegseth to pray:
The president addressed his guests before US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said a prayer over the dinner.
He said the room was full of ‘many, many friends and very competent people.’
‘We’ve transformed stagnation into growth, weakness into strength and chaos into order, liberty and justice,’ he said.
Trump claimed that in just one year, his administration had tackled inflation and crime and garnered worldwide respect.
The president then introduced Hegseth.
‘We have a great leader, a great military leader named Pete Hegseth and he is going to say grace,’ said Trump.
‘He is a man who turned out to be absolutely fantastic at what he does and you know what he does…
‘He’s turned out to be an incredible inspiration to the men and women in our military.’
Hegseth prayed for the president’s ‘safety’ and ‘wisdom’ to kick off the glamorous evening.
Watch the prayer here:
🔥🚨 BREAKING: Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, says GRACE at the Governors Dinner.
— The Patriot Oasis™ (@ThePatriotOasis) February 22, 2026
"Tonight we pray for our president, give him safety and give him wisdom—LORD GOD!"
"WISDOM is defined as FEAR OF THE LORD!" pic.twitter.com/2uudJxw9w6
In true Trump fashion, you know he had to crack a few jokes:
🚨 LMAO! President Trump just had the room DYING at the Governors Dinner!
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) February 22, 2026
“We’re with some very special reporters tonight. I often say the FAKE NEWS! But I will not say it tonight even though I’m on live television.”
“I will NOT call you fake news, OK?! As the cameras are… pic.twitter.com/ri5hoOJGeS
Here’s another highlight:
🚨 LMFAO! President Trump is OBLITERATING the climate change scammers at the governors dinner
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 22, 2026
"Not using hairspray and I'm gonna 'ruin the ozone!' I'm in my apartment in Trump Tower, building is TOTALLY sealed off, if I use hairspray, they say, 'Sir, you're creating an… pic.twitter.com/lWzjlwsXWV
AP reported that Democrat Governors left the dinner before the dinner even came out:
The annual dinner with governors at the White House is typically a chance for leaders from both parties to come together, socialize and spend a low-key evening with the president. But like many traditions during President Donald Trump’s second term, Saturday’s dinner has proven unusually controversial.
Ahead of this week’s gathering of the National Governors Association, Trump ridiculed the bipartisan group’s leadership, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Democratic Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland. He refused to invite Moore, along with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, to a working event at the White House on Friday — only to relent at the last minute.
Then the event ended shortly after Trump learned of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down his sweeping tariff policy.
Dozens of Democrats had threatened to boycott Saturday’s dinner if members of their party were blocked from Friday’s meeting. But even after Moore’s attendance, some said they still wouldn’t show up.
“President Trump has made this whole thing a farce,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
When the dinner finally rolled around, no Democrats were spotted in the room. Enjoying the black-tie affair, with tall candles arranged on tables, were just top administration officials and Republican governors.
In brief remarks, Trump joked that state leaders “look in that mirror and say, I should be president, not him.”
Maybe Hegseth’s prayer scared them off!
