President Trump welcomes governors-elect to White House

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has welcomed governors-elect from both parties to the White House.

Among those attending Thursday were Florida Republican Ron DeSantis, Georgia Republican Brian Kemp, Illinois Democrat J.B. Pritzker, Wisconsin Democrat Tony Evers and newly inaugurated Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican.

White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Doug Hoelscher had said they’d be discussing “shared priorities,” including workforce investment, prison reform and combating the opioid epidemic.

The visitors also met with Cabinet members as part of a broader White House outreach effort to local officials.

The White House says since the midterms, it has reached out to a long list of newly elected state and local officials of both parties “to open lines of communication and begin a dialogue.”