A major reason for moving the bulk of the Republican National Convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida, was the north Florida city’s intent to make the renomination spectacle for President Trump mask-free.
Until Monday, when, according to Politico, Republican Mayor Lenny Curry was finalizing a citywide mask order amid a spike in COVID-19 cases across Florida. That new rule would extend to indoor events as well. The GOP convention is slated to be hosted at Jacksonville’s Veterans Memorial Arena on Aug. 25-27.
The GOP initially had planned to host its gathering in Charlotte but ultimately moved its location to Florida after a spat between Trump and the governor over whether city and state government, with a Democratic governor of North Carolina and a Democratic mayor of Charlotte, would allow such a large, indoor gathering in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Wearing masks, which virtually every public health expert agrees is a way to cut down the transmission of the coronavirus, has been a sore spot for Trump, who is often seen in public not wearing one.
The Trump campaign has repeatedly mocked presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for wearing a mask. In May, the campaign released several Facebook ads chiding Biden for his face covering. That same month, Biden called Trump an “absolute fool” for failing to abide by government guidelines encouraging mask use.
