By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) - U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants a different state to host the Republican National Convention because host North Carolina refuses to guarantee the event can take place in Charlotte without restrictions due to ongoing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
Trump announced the news late Tuesday on social networking site Twitter. He complained that the state’s governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, and other officials “refuse to guarantee that we can have use of the Spectrum Arena.” They were not “allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised,” Trump stressed.
“Because of @NC_Governor, we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention,” the president wrote.
Trump has made clear he wants to reopen America after months of coronavirus lockdowns that left tens of millions of people jobless and required trillions in aid to relaunch the economy.
Organizers of the Republican National Convention said earlier they would begin visiting potential alternative sites. They spoke after Governor Cooper told them the coronavirus pandemic requires them to prepare for a scaled-back event if they want to hold it in Charlotte.
Cooper, a Democrat, said in a letter to the top convention organizer and the national Republican Party chairwoman that “planning for a scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings is a necessity.”
The letter came on the eve of a deadline from Republicans for assurances that Cooper would allow a full-scale event in August.
Republican governors of Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia have said they would be interested in hosting if North Carolina falls through. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said Republican officials are coming to Nashville on Thursday, calling the city “the best place in America to have a convention.”
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