Moore says White House prevented him from speaking at Anduril announcement

It was called the biggest private investment in the state in a decade, with state and federal dignitaries on hand Tuesday to celebrate Anduril Industries’ plan to spend billions, and create thousands of jobs, at a new Sparrows Point shipyard.

Noticeably absent from the officials on stage, however, was Gov. Wes Moore (D). He said he was uninvited by the White House after President Donald Trump announced plans to show up.

“I will not be there later on today,” Moore said earlier Tuesday, after a debate with GOP gubernatorial nominee Dan Cox. When asked if his absence from the Tradepoint Atlantic event was at the direction of the White House, Moore said, “That is correct.”

Moore said he’s proud of the facility and the deal state officials helped bring to fruition after more than a year of negotiations. 

“We’re excited about what it’s going to mean to the area,” Moore said. “But if the president of the United States wants to bring the circus into town and tell me that I’m not allowed to speak despite the fact that we were the ones that helped bring the deal, then I will let the circus be conducted while I go back to work for the people of Maryland.”

The White House said Tuesday that Moore was invited to attend — as a guest — and that President Trump is willing to collaborate with anyone if it means bolstering the country’s manufacturing sector.

“It’s unfortunate that the Governor is now making a multi-billion dollar announcement about himself by throwing a tantrum over a federal initiative that will bring sorely needed jobs back to his state thanks to President Trump,” the White House statement reads.

But Moore administration officials said the governor was part of the program, only to be told by the White House that he couldn’t speak.

“Gov. Moore has always said he will work with anyone when it comes to delivering for Marylanders, but bow to no one when it comes to standing up for them,” a spokesman for Moore said. “The governor is proud to welcome Anduril to Baltimore County and the thousands of permanent jobs this investment is bringing to our state.”

The Moore administration got ahead of the event by announcing details of the deal in a news release posted at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The 2-million-square-foot submarine manufacturing facility is expected to provide more than 14,000 jobs, with 3,100 of them being permanent, according to a news release from the governor’s office. The facility will produce parts for Virginia-class nuclear submarines and is expected to open in 2030.

Tuesday is not the first time Trump and Moore have sparred.

Trump has repeatedly attacked Baltimore and Maryland, as he does many blue cities and states, threatening in 2025 to send National Guard troops to Baltimore because the city was “so far gone” with crime. Moore, pointing to falling crime rates in the city, said Trump should come walk the streets of Baltimore and see for himself, but to otherwise “keep our name out of your mouth.”

In an August 2025 Cabinet meeting, Trump called Baltimore a “hellhole” he wouldn’t want to walk through. Moore, at the time, added that President Trump was simply spouting “nonsense” from the Oval Office and making false claims without ever visiting the city.

The sparring has continued, with Moore blasting Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce and Trump, earlier this year, disinviting Moore and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, both Democrats, from a National Governors Association dinner at the White House, among other slights.

Trump made no mention of the governor Tuesday, but others did.

“An event of this magnitude and building a shipyard of this size comes with an equally long list of people who we need to acknowledge and thank,” said Anduril Industries co-founder and CEO Brian Schimpf. “Gov. Moore, County Executive [Kathy] Klausmeier, the federal congressional delegation, as well as state and local leaders throughout Maryland have all moved with urgency to bring industrial investment of this scale to Baltimore County.”

Sen. Guy Guzzone (D-Howard), who was at Tuesday’s event, said, “The State of Maryland was involved [in landing Anduril]. The governor had every right to be there and every right to speak.”

— Maryland Matters reporter Danielle J. Brown contributed to this report.