Where, oh where, will President Donald Trump deliver his acceptance speech?
Only hours after Trump hinted he will accept the Republican nomination for president in Washington, Vice President Mike Pence said Trump will, indeed, deliver the speech in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Trump made the remark Wednesday morning in the presence of several reporters and media outlets.
On Tuesday, Trump told Raleigh, North Carolina-based WRAL he would deliver his acceptance speech in the Tar Heel State, where the convention was originally scheduled. But several weeks ago, North Carolina’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, said the city and state could not support a full convention with significant coronavirus safety measures.
Trump then announced the search was on for another site that would host his renomination, setting off a fury of media speculation and pleas from other governors, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, to bring the convention to their state.
Eventually, Trump and the RNC settled on Jacksonville, Florida. But last week, Trump announced all of the convention’s Florida events were called off due to a coronavirus spike.
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Trump’s formal renomination will still go forward in North Carolina, where a small subset of GOP delegates will gather in Charlotte, North Carolina, for four hours Aug. 24. Florida was to have hosted four nights of programming and parties that Trump had hoped would be a “four-night infomercial” for his reelection.
“It’s a different world, and it will be for a little while,” Trump said, explaining his decision. “To have a big convention is not the right time.”
Credit: AJC
Milwaukee’s Democratic National Convention has also been scaled back considerably, with only about 300 people expected to attend and strict social distancing and mask mandates required.
