Tarrant County judge says Republican convention is welcome if North Carolina wavers
If President Donald Trump goes through with his threat to pull the National Republican Convention from North Carolina, Tarrant County would be more than happy to host the event.
“Anything that will bring the economy back in Tarrant County I’m all for,” Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, a Republican, told reporters. “I think that would be a great event to bring to Fort Worth, the Tarrant County area or the Arlington area.
“There’s a number of venues we could use. I think it would be a great place to hold the convention.”
Whitley’s reaction was the opposite of what Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, a Democrat, posted on Twitter.
“The last thing we need right now is a large gathering of nationwide visitors coming to Dallas given we are currently at ‘red’ our highest threat level for COVID-19,” Jenkins wrote on Twitter. “No offense. Would say the same thing to the Democrats — please go somewhere else.”
As of Tuesday, Whitley said he had not received inquiries from GOP officials.
Trump on Monday wrote on Twitter that the Republican Party would find a different site for the GOP convention if North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, couldn’t immediately say whether the convention space can be “fully occupied.”
Cooper’s office has said social distancing rules might prevent the entire space from being used when the convention starts Aug. 24 in Charlotte.
“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. “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 the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site. This is not something I want to do.”
Top Republican officials have suggested a number of states — from Texas to Florida to Georgia — could host the event instead of North Carolina.
Texas Republican Party Chairman James Dickey on Monday told media that “Texas would welcome President Trump and the RNC Convention.”
