/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5ed03da57e1af600061fd619/0x0.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,0&ssl=1 "N.C. Governor: ‘We’re Ready’ For GOP Convention, But Give Us A Plan For How It Will Be Held Safely")
TOPLINE
After President Donald Trump threatened to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina unless Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper agreed to sign off on allowing thousands of attendees, the governor responded Thursday by saying the state is “ready” to hold the convention—as long as Republicans send a plan on how they’re going to do that safely amid the coronavirus pandemic.
RALEIGH, NC – MAY 16: Governor Roy Cooper, D-NC address the crowd during the Rally for Respect … [+]
2018 Getty Images
KEY FACTS
“We’re ready to hold the RNC convention in North Carolina in a safe way,” Cooper said Thursday, days after Trump said in a tweet that Cooper must ensure that “thousands of enthusiastic Republicans” are able to come to Charlotte for the Aug. 24-27 convention.
Cooper said that Republicans haven’t submitted a plan for how the convention would be staged safely, adding that he’s looking forward to seeing one.
Republicans from the states of Texas, Florida and Georgia have pitched their merits as host sites since the Trump tweets and also comments from Mike Pence, who in an interview Monday on Fox News named those states as ones that have done well handling coronavirus.
Trump has criticized Cooper for “playing politics” with the state’s reopening, saying that the speed of it has been too slow even as North Carolina entered Phase 2 of its reopening last Friday.
Coronavirus numbers across North Carolina are trending in the wrong direction, though, with the state setting new highs for hospitalizations in each of the past two days.
The Republican convention will follow the Democratic National Convention, which is set to be held Aug. 17-20 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, though that gathering could end up being held virtually.
KEY BACKGROUND
The Republican National Committee selected Charlotte as the convention site in 2018, to be held at the Spectrum Center in downtown. North Carolina is seen as one of the key states Trump will need to keep in his win column, after defeating Hillary Clinton there in 2016 by a little over 3 percentage points. But that same ballot saw the Democratic Cooper win the governorship over Republican Pat McCrory, showing how North Carolina can be a swing state.
On Tuesday, Trump said Cooper would have one week to show the state could hold the convention, with those comments coming a day after North Carolina’s secretary of Health and Human Services sent a letter to the convention’s CEO asking for a written plan on how the convention will be held safely, along with asking for several alternative plans that might have to be put into place depending on what the public health situation looks like in August.
CRITICAL QUOTE
“A written plan provides a necessary and valuable starting point to planning discussions with our public health teams at the county and state levels,” state Health Secretary Mandy Cohen said, adding “These measured and careful planning efforts are important not only to convention-goers, but also to the North Carolinians who rely on us to protect the public’s health.”
TANGENT
On Monday afternoon, Trump denied reports he was considering moving the convention to a ballroom at his Doral golf resort, saying “Ballroom is not nearly big enough & would like to stay in N.C.”
FURTHER READING
NC hasn’t received RNC’s plans on how it will hold event safely amid coronavirus pandemic (The News & Observer)
NC coronavirus hospitalizations reach all-time high for second straight day (The News & Observer)
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