Dr. Richard Vatz, a rhetoric and communications professor at Towson University, told Spotlight on Maryland that Gov. Moore should be cautious about his focus.

“I think the governor is careful not to do anything explicitly and laughs off that he is aiming for higher office,” Dr. Vatz said. “It’s what they call in politics the ‘Great Mentioner.’ Everybody talks about him.”

I think he would be wise to put on the brakes a little bit for his presidential aspirations,” Dr. Vatz added.

The professor said that the governor spent a considerable part of his approximately 48-minute State of the State speech, delivered during a joint session of the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis on Wednesday, criticizing President Donald Trump.

Spotlight on Maryland analyzed the official transcript of Gov. Moore’s speech and found that, of the 4,350 words spoken, he never mentioned the president by name. Instead, the governor used phrases like “new administration in Washington” and “the White House.”

“[I]f the policy decisions of these last few weeks are any preview, I fear that our most charitable expectations will be met with harsh realities, that at a time when our nation needs clarity, we confront chaos,” Gov. Moore said in Annapolis. “At a time when our nation needs vision, we confront hysteria.”

“That trials we now face, both those we inherited and those newly realized, mean that easy decisions are off the table,” Gov. Moore continued.

The governor appeared on CNN later Wednesday evening for a national prime-time cable news interview. In the first half of the interview, Gov. Moore reiterated his disapproval of the Trump administration’s first few weeks back in the White House.

“The shuttering of these agencies, the firing of thousands of workers, the proactive trade wars that we are having, this is having a distinct impact on middle-class families, it’s having a distinct impact on the people who live in my state and people who live around the country,” Gov. Moore said on CNN.

The show’s host also asked Gov. Moore about the lines in his State of the State address and whether there was anything he felt he could collaborate on with the Trump administration.

I’ve made it clear that I will work with anybody, and if you look at our state, we have introduced 26 pieces of legislation,” Gov. Moore said on CNN. “Not only have we went 26-for-26, but I have gone 26-for-26 bipartisan, with both Democrat and Republican support on every single bill we have introduced thus far.”

Spotlight on Maryland sent several questions to Gov. Moore’s office on Saturday morning asking some of the following questions:

• Who was the target audience for the governor’s speech?
• Did the governor spend at an increased rate for the past two years because he believed federal funding would subsidize the state’s budget?
• How many days did the governor travel in 2024 outside the state of Maryland?
• Is the governor’s criticism of the Trump administration rooted in Maryland affairs or political aspirations?

David Turner, Gov. Wes Moore’s communications director, wrote a lengthy response. He said the questions were partisan and biased. Turner added that the governor’s State of the State audience was solely Marylanders and focused his message on assisting the state's people.

“He is laser-focused on growing an economy that was stagnant for too long prior to taking office,” Turner said. “As he has stated repeatedly and said during his State of the State, he hopes his administration can find ways to work together to make progress for Maryland, but he swore an oath to defend the constitution and serve the people of this state.”

The governor’s spokesperson also accepted a rare Zoom interview on Saturday afternoon to discuss the governor’s legislative agenda and priorities. Spotlight on Maryland once again asked how often Gov. Moore was outside the state last year.

Turner again said the questions asked were politically charged.

“I think that is a partisan attack, frankly, that is unfounded,” Turner said. “The governor has events across the state, multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day, making sure he is talking to Marylanders, getting feedback, and using that feedback to implement policy that’s going to make their lives easier and better.”

Turner did not provide Spotlight on Maryland with an estimate of the governor’s out-of-state travel last year. He said he did not have that information readily available when pressed by email.

State records show that Gov. Moore raised $4.1 million in 2024, with a notable amount in out-of-state contributions, for his state campaign account. The governor’s campaign told the Baltimore Sun on Wednesday that he also raised $1.1 million for former Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign against President Trump.

Meanwhile, Dr. Vatz told Spotlight on Maryland that Gov. Moore is facing a challenging governing position and the time he has devoted to national politics may adversely affect his career.

“The governor is kind of a happy warrior,” Dr. Vatz said. “Everything he talks about, he has a big smile, there’s no problem, he’s very confident.”

“Confidence does not substitute for hard-nosed, serious policies,” Dr. Vatz added.

The White House did not respond on Saturday to comment requests.