Trump considers moving Republican National Convention
President Donald Trump plans to have a full convention hall when he accepts the Republican nomination this summer, even if that means that he has to move the convention to another state.
On Monday, Trump tweeted his displeasure with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), threatening to move the Republican National Convention out of Charlotte if Cooper is unable to guarantee that the arena can be filled to capacity.
“I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August,” Trump tweeted. “Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena. In other words, we would be spending millions of dollars building the Arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space.”
Cooper responded by saying that state health officials were working with the Republican National Committee to “review its plans as they make decisions” about how to hold the convention in Charlotte.
“North Carolina is relying on data and science to protect our state’s public safety,” Cooper tweeted.
Vice President Mike Pence echoed the president’s concerns during a Fox News appearance. He called Trump’s request of Cooper very reasonable.
“We all want to be in Charlotte, we love North Carolina, but having a sense now is absolutely essential because of the rules and regulations that are involved, and we look forward to working with Gov. Cooper, getting a swift response, and, if need be, moving the national convention to a state that is farther along on reopening and can say with confidence that we can gather there,” he said.
Pence mentioned Texas, Florida and Georgia as possible alternative hosts for the convention should North Carolina fall through.
“It’s an issue we’ve been talking about because these national conventions literally take many months to organize and prepare and there are states around the country — we think of Texas, we think of Florida, Georgia, the last two states I visited last week, that have made tremendous progress on reopening their communities and reopening their economies,” Pence said.
The recent controversy over the GOP Convention has led to other governors hoping the president will consider their states. On Tuesday morning, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp promoted his state in a tweet to Trump.
“With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention. We hope you will consider the Peach State, @realdonaldtrump!”
Workers are expected to begin a multimillion-dollar upgrade of Charlotte’s Spectrum Center arena in July for which the Republican National Committee has said it will raise $65 million. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend the August convention.
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