President Donald Trump announced on Twitter tonight that the Republican Party is looking for a new convention site for this August's gathering, which was originally planned for Charlotte, North Carolina.
Trump said that the party could not receive assurances from the state's Democratic governor that a ban on mass gatherings would not be lifted in time for the convention. North Carolina, like a number of other states, have limited mass public gathering during the spread of COVID-19.
"Had long planned to have the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, a place I love," Trump tweeted. "Now, (NC Gov.) 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. Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised. Would have showcased beautiful North Carolina to the World, and brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, and jobs, for the State. Because of (Cooper), we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention."