President Trump warned the Republican National Convention will be moved out of North Carolina if the swing state cannot guarantee the August event can be “fully occupied.”
A salvo of tweets Monday morning called on the “Democratic Governor,” Roy Cooper, to give the Republican National Committee an immediate answer as the state loosens restrictions meant to curb the coronavirus, but perhaps not fast enough.
“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 said. “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.”
“Plans are being made by many thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to head to beautiful North Carolina in August,” he said. “They must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied. If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site. This is not something I want to do. Thank you, and I LOVE the people of North Carolina!”
The message to North Carolina is yet another indication that the president is getting impatient with the widespread shutdowns that have strangled the economy. He tweeted Sunday night that schools around the country should reopen “ASAP.”
A spokesperson for Cooper said state health officials were working with the Republican National Committee but did not say whether restrictions would be in place.
“North Carolina is relying on data and science to protect our state’s public health and safety,” the spokesperson said after Trump’s tweets made headlines.
North Carolina entered “Phase 2” of its three-part reopening plan this weekend, allowing breweries, restaurants, and salons to reopen at limited capacity, which is set to expire on June 24. The timing of the entry into the next phase will be critical. The governor said that under this phase, RNC delegates would be akin to “spectators” at a sporting event, which would allow only 10 of them in the arena.
Vice President Mike Pence echoed Trump, telling Fox News on Monday they look forward to seeing a “swift response” from Cooper. He said Republicans may look to other states that are “further along” in reopening their economies as alternative locations for the convention. Pence noted that Florida and Georgia, both of which are led by Republican governors, have made “tremendous progress.”
The multiday GOP convention is set to begin on Aug. 24 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said earlier this month the party still plans to hold the event in Charlotte, noting that by the end of June, they will start making some “critical decisions if we do have to make adjustments.” At the time, the RNC said it was expecting 50,000 attendees at the convention.
Still, the state’s top health official, Mandy Cohen, said last week that the RNC should “hope for the best, but plan for the worst.” More than 23,000 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in North Carolina, with hundreds more reported over Memorial Day weekend.
The Democrats moved their convention in Milwaukee back from mid-July to the week of Aug. 17 and are also taking precautionary steps to have delegates vote virtually.
