Democrats are accusing President Trump of deserting North Carolina after a late-night tweet implying he was pulling the Republican convention from the crucial swing state.
Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Xochitl Hinojosa slammed Trump’s posturing, suggesting the president was “more concerned about holding a massive party for himself than leading our nation through crisis.”
“He has abandoned the people of North Carolina while refusing to acknowledge the severity of this pandemic,” Hinojosa wrote Wednesday in a statement.
She added the country was simultaneously facing nationwide civil unrest sparked by the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, in Minneapolis police custody.
“Unlike Republicans, Democrats will continue to listen to health experts, follow science, and prioritize the health and safety of the American people,” Hinojosa said.
Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper warned Republicans Tuesday it would be “unlikely” that the COVID-19 conditions expected from Aug. 24 to Aug. 27 would allow them to hold a convention of 19,000 people with only some public health precautions in place. The GOP has earlier proposed providing antibacterial gel and frequent sanitizing, as well as requiring pre-travel health surveys and daily screenings such as temperature checks. But Cooper and his officials wanted more information on how Republicans planned to implement social distancing measures and encourage the wearing of face coverings, two mitigation tactics politicized by Trump during the outbreak.
“@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 late Tuesday. “Because of @NC_Governor, we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Republicans signaled they were already considering their other options, including Nashville, Tennessee; Las Vegas; Florida’s Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa; and nearby Georgia.
