Posted on 02/20/25
| News Source: WBAL
Annapolis, MD - Feb. 20, 2025 - On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced his appointments to his administration’s Council of Governors, with Maryland’s Governor Moore making the cut for the five Democratic selections.
Gov. Moore is the second Maryland Governor to be appointed, following former Governor Martin O’Malley, who served on the council as co-chair from 2010-2015.
This council consists of ten governors, equally split between Republicans and Democrats.
Originally established by President George W. Bush through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, the council was formally set up two years later via an executive order filed by former President Barack Obama.
Wednesday’s announcement was shared in a press release on the White House website, and can be read here.
“Today, President Donald J. Trump announced new appointments to the Council of Governors, a bipartisan group of state leaders tasked with strengthening state-federal partnerships on key national security, disaster response, and military coordination issues.”
Governor Moore, Maryland’s 63rd governor, has been serving the state in his current role since 2023.
Born in Maryland and raised in New York, Wes Moore has experience in numerous fields.
Beyond his political career, Wes Moore has served in the U.S. Army, worked as an investment banker, acted as CEO of a charitable business and has published several pieces of literature.
Looking back at his political career, Wes Moore first showed political aspirations in 1996, intending to attend law school before jumping into politics. Years later, he gained public attention with a speech backing Barack Obama at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Despite this, Wes Moore continued to focus on business and volunteer work, publicly expressing no interest in running for office in 2013.
Under consideration for a lieutenant governor spot in 2014, he grew more active in political circles following the 2015 protests in Baltimore.
With increasing involvement, he joined the University System of Maryland Board of Regents in 2017 and by 2020, he began eyeing a more substantial political role, contributing significantly to Baltimore’s and Maryland’s political strategies.
In 2022, he won the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election, becoming Maryland’s first African-American governor and the third African-American person elected governor of any U.S. state.
Governors appointed to the council serve for two-year terms, with two co-chairs from different parties designated by the President.
Co-Chairs under the Trump administration include Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin and North Carolina Democratic Governor Josh Stein.
An Executive Director appointed by the Secretary of Defense coordinates the Council’s activities.
The National Governors Association says the Council’s goal is to bring together leaders from both political parties to work better together on important matters like managing disasters, deploying the National Guard, and combining military efforts within states.
The Council looks into aligning state and federal military activities and supports homeland defense and civil aid. It also helps create cybersecurity partnerships and provides advice on federal budget issues.
Appointed Members