Trump says RNC leaving North Carolina, blames Democratic governor
Trump blamed North Carolina's governor
President Trump announced the GOP is relocating the Republican National Convention due to coronavirus restrictions in North Carolina. FOX Business' Cheryl Casone with more.
North Carolina will miss out on millions of dollars in revenue from the Republican National Convention after Gov. Roy Cooper and the GOP couldn't come to an agreement about holding such a large event amid coronavirus risks, President Trump said.
"Had long planned to have the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, a place I love," Trump wrote on Twitter on Tuesday night. "Now, NC Governor 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."
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"Because of NC Governor, we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention," Trump wrote.
Cooper could agree to a scaled-down convention but not the full-scale convention he said RNC officials wanted, the Democratic governor wrote in a letter to RNC officials on Tuesday afternoon. After Trump said the RNC would pick a new state on Tuesday night, Cooper said the news was "unfortunate."
"We have been committed to a safe RNC convention in North Carolina and it’s unfortunate they never agreed to scale down and make changes to keep people safe," Cooper wrote on Twitter. "Protecting public health and safety during this pandemic is a priority."
Other states have jumped at the chance to host the RNC.
Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., told Fox News that she has pushed for the RNC to move to her home state.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper listens to a question during a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 20, 2020. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP)
"I've spoken to the president about coming to Georgia," Loeffler said. "I would love for him to have a rally or even hold the convention in the state of Georgia. And I've actually spoken to him and the vice president about that."
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Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, Cooper's rival in the 2020 governor's race, said losing the RNC would hurt North Carolina businesses when they need help the most.
"When it comes to the convention right now, you are talking about $160 million of revenue poured into the state and that has a massive impact ... at a time that it's needed most, especially for restaurants and hotels and people like that who have been struggling the most," Forest told FOX Business' Stuart Varney in May.