PoliticoCoronavirus: Trump cancels Republican convention events in Jacksonville, Florida
- President’s prime-time nomination speech will be moved online, as state continues to grapple with surge in Covid-19 cases
- Party’s major events had been moved to Jacksonville after Trump clashed with North Carolina’s Democratic governor over coronavirus measures
This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Caitlin Oprysko on politico.com on July 23, 2020.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was cancelling Republican National Convention (RNC) keynote events set to be held in Jacksonville, Florida, next month, as the state continues to grapple with a surge in coronavirus cases.
“I told my team it's time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida, component of the GOP Convention,” Trump said during a coronavirus briefing at the White House, explaining that “it's just not the right time” to hold a “big, crowded convention”.
The convention's official business meetings were always set to remain in Charlotte, and Trump said those would go on as planned.
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But the party's big events including Trump’s prime-time nomination speech, which the party decided to move to Jacksonville only last month, will move online, the president suggested.