Trump threatens last-minute move of GOP convention; Pence lists Texas as possibility
President Donald Trump threatened Monday morning to move August’s Republican National Convention from Charlotte if the state is not able to commit to “full attendance” at the convention.
Vice President Mike Pence also said Monday morning the convention could be moved due to the pace of the state’s reopening process.
Pence listed Texas first among three states that came to his mind as destinations.
“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,” Pence said on the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”
Las Vegas Republicans submitted the other host bid when the decision was made in 2018.
At the time, a North Carolina official said a city in Texas was also in the running.
North Carolina is currently in Phase Two of Gov. Roy Cooper’s coronavirus reopening plan. Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. Before the virus, the RNC was expected to bring 50,000 people to Charlotte for events connected to the convention.
In a series of tweets, Trump demanded an immediate answer from Cooper, a Democrat.
In a statement posted to Cooper’s Twitter account at 10:45 a.m., about two and half hours after Trump’s tweets, Cooper’s press secretary, Dory MacMillan, said:
“State health officials are working with the RNC and will 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 health and safety.”
The Republican National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 24 to Aug. 27 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
Texas Republicans are hosting their state convention in Houston July 16-18.
“Texas would welcome President Trump and the RNC Convention,” state party Chairman James Dickey of Austin told CNN.
“ Until then, based upon Governor Abbott’s progress in opening Texas, we are on track for our State Convention as planned in person in Houston in July.”
Trump’s tweets
“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. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
“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.
“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 Republican National Convention organizers are scheduled to take over the Spectrum Center in mid-July for an extensive rebuilding of the venue, including raising the floor of the arena.
Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs, a Republican, questioned Trump’s authority to pull the convention himself. Charlotte’s contract is with the GOP’s Committee on Arrangements.
He said he doubted that any other city could put together a convention now given the two-year process Charlotte has undertaken, including arranging a venue, hotel space and related contracts. Driggs noted that the City Council already accepted a $50 million federal security grant for the convention in April.
“I think this is the kind of thing that happens in politics, where, and particularly the president is known for dramatic gestures,” Driggs said.” I don’t know whether that tweet by him is supported by the Republican Party and all the people with whom we have been in negotiation for a couple of years.”
Pence, in an appearance on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends,” said Trump was making “just a very reasonable request of the governor of North Carolina.”
“We all want to be in Charlotte. We love North Carolina. Having a sense now is absolutely essential because of the immense preparations 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,” Pence said.
Where will coronavirus spread stand in August?
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles issued a statement Monday that echoed Cooper’s call for data to guide decisions.
“With the health and safety of our residents and visitors being the top priority, the city of Charlotte will continue to follow guidance from Governor Cooper and public health professionals in determining the best and safest way to host the Republican National Convention,” Lyles said. “While I’ve remained consistent in my statements regarding the RNC being held in Charlotte, the science and data will ultimately determine what we will collectively do for our city.”
North Carolina has more than 23,200 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 740 people have died from the virus, according to the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. But Cooper, along with DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, have taken gradual steps in May to reopen some of the state’s economy.
State Rep. Mark Brody, a member of the Republican National Committee, predicted that by late August the greatest worries about the virus will have subsided.
“(The convention) is so far out in time that this will more than likely all be over by then. Unless by somebody’s imagination they’re creating new things they’re attributing to the virus. This thing will eventually end and I think it’ll be pretty soon,” said Brody, who is from Union County.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, told NPR last week he’s certain coronavirus infections will continue into the fall and winter “because it’s not going to disappear from the planet.”
“So it isn’t inevitable that we’re going to have a massive rebound,” he said. “What is inevitable is that we will see cases.”
Researchers’ attempts to predict cases and deaths have fluctuated widely, even among different updates to the same model. But as of last week, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington estimated the death toll in North Carolina by August would reach about 2,500, more than triple the current number, The News & Observer reported.
Scaled-down event?
The Democratic National Convention was pushed back from its original July date to Aug. 17 through Aug. 20 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The convention could be scaled back and parts of it handled virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats, including presumptive nominee Joe Biden, have said.
Other events with big crowds in North Carolina have had to adjust, though it is clear that some in the state are not willing to abide by the orders to avoid large gatherings.
Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted a NASCAR race Sunday evening with no fans in the stands. It was the first major sporting event in the state since the pandemic forced the cancellation of the ACC men’s basketball tournament in March.
Trump won North Carolina in his 2016 Electoral College victory. The state is again seen as a key swing state in the presidential election — and even more so in the tight race for control of the Senate.
“There will be a convention in Charlotte. It’s a matter of what it looks like,” U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is up for re-election in 2020, told the Charlotte Observer late last week.
Star-Telegram writer Bud Kennedy contributed to this report.
This story was originally published May 25, 2020 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Trump threatens last-minute move of GOP convention; Pence lists Texas as possibility."
