Trump Says RNC Will Not Be Hosted In North Carolina, Blames Gov. Roy Cooper For Insisting On COVID-19 Restrictions

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Charlotte, North Carolina is no longer a viable option for Republican National Convention because Gov. Roy Cooper (D-North Carolina) will not guarantee a full-scale event by August.

Cooper has been maintaining that the event would have restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

“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.

“Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised.”

Trump and RNC have been demanding that the convention be held as a full-scale event without crowd restrictions and face mask requirements. 

In response to Trump’s tweet, Cooper also tweeted he had no option but to prioritize his state’s safety first.

“We have been committed to a safe R.N.C. convention in North Carolina and it’s unfortunate they never agreed to scale down and make changes to keep people safe,” Cooper said. “Protecting public health and safety during this pandemic is a priority.”

North Carolina has passed 30,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Friday.

RNC organizers are looking at other sites now: Nashville, Las Vegas, Orlando, Jacksonville and Atlanta are among the candidates to host the August convention. 

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Article by Dongyoon Shin