President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would cancel the in-person mass gathering of the Republican National Convention (RNC) scheduled for August in Jacksonville, Florida.
“To have a big convention, it’s just not right,” he said.
Trump said that the recent flareup of the coronavirus in Florida would put too many people in danger, including people traveling to the convention.
“I just felt it was wrong to have people going to what turned out to be a hotspot,” Trump said.
Trump said that his plans for his acceptance speech were still underway and that he would announce them in the future.
The planned first night of the convention in Charlotte, NC with delegates would still take place, Trump confirmed, but that the larger more crowded celebration in Jacksonville would be canceled
He previewed other online events after he was nominated.
“We won’t do a big, crowded convention per se,” Trump said. “It’s just not the right time for that. I care deeply about the people in Florida, and everywhere else, frankly, in this country, and people in the world.”
The Jacksonville portion of the convention was scheduled for August 24-27 after delegates gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina, to nominate the president, where the convention was initially planned.
The Republican National Committee’s plan was to have a bigger event with more people in Jacksonville after Charlotte’s mayor expressed concerns about hosting a large-scale event.
But Trump said that the jump in coronavirus cases changed the Republican National Committee’s plans.
“We have to be vigilant, we have to be careful, and we have to set an example,” Trump said.
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