Trump Says GOP Will Move Convention to New State Over North Carolina’s Coronavirus Restrictions

President Donald Trump said that the Republican Party will search for a new state to hold its national convention this summer over North Carolina’s coronavirus measures, CNN reports.

"Had long planned to have the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, a place I love. Now, @NC_Governor Roy Cooper and his representatives refuse to guarantee that we can have use of the Spectrum Arena - Spend millions of dollars, have everybody arrive, and then tell them they will not be able to gain entry,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

“Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised. Would have showcased beautiful North Carolina to the World, and brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, and jobs, for the State,” he added. “Because of @NC_Governor, we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention.”

GOP may split convention:

Because of contractual agreements, the Republican National Committee is still required to hold some formal portion of the convention in Charlotte, according to CNN.

But the nominating portion of the convention is expected to take place in another city.

"The night the President accepts the nomination will not happen in Charlotte," an RNC official said.

The decision is not final but Trump has set a Wednesday deadline to determine the course of action.

"Due to the directive from the governor that our convention cannot go on as planned as required by our rules, the celebration of the President's acceptance of the Republican nomination will be held in another city," another Republican official said. "Should the governor allow more than 10 people in a room, we still hope to conduct the official business of the convention in Charlotte."

Officials consider 5 other locations:

The RNC is considering moving the nominating portion of the convention to Nashville, Las Vegas, Orlando, Jacksonville, or somewhere in Georgia.

The search comes after Cooper told the RNC that the chances of a packed convention in August were “very unlikely.”

"The people of North Carolina do not know what the status of COVID-19 will be in August, so planning for a scaled down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings is a necessity," Cooper wrote. "We are happy to continue talking with you about what a scaled down convention would look like and we still await your proposed plan for that."

"We have been committed to a safe RNC convention in North Carolina and it's unfortunate they never agreed to scale down and make changes to keep people safe. Protecting public health and safety during this pandemic is a priority," Cooper said on Twitter.

 

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