Post by phillip on Jul 25, 2020 7:10:25 GMT
I bet donors that put money towards the convention in either North Carolina or Florida are not happy. But this is what Trump does, "people say" no one knows how to throw money away better than Donald Trump.
President Trump announced on Tuesday that he is cancelling the portion of the Republican National Convention that was set to take place in Jacksonville, Fla., next month. The president broke the news at his daily coronavirus briefing and said he made the decision when his political team presented him with plans for the event.
“I looked at my team and I said the timing for this event is not right. It’s just not right with what’s happened recently, the flareup in Florida, to have a big convention, it’s not the right time,” Trump said. “I have to protect the American people. That’s what I’ve always done.”
The Republican convention is where the party formally nominates its presidential candidates. This year’s edition was originally set to take place in Charlotte, N.C. However, last month, Trump moved the bulk of the event to Jacksonville after North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said it would have to be scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, Florida, which was among the first states to reopen, has seen a dramatic increase in coronavirus cases.
A number of prominent Republican officeholders said they did not plan to attend.
At the briefing, Trump said the portions of the convention that had been scheduled to stay in Charlotte — basically, the formal business sessions — will still go on. That includes the official nomination of candidates for president and vice president, although the number of delegates in attendance will be only 336, many fewer than in previous years. Trump also said he will still make a convention speech.
“We’re going to do some other things with tele rallies and online the week that we’re discussing, which will be really good,” said Trump. “And I’ll still do a convention speech in a different form, but we won’t do a big, crowded convention per se. It’s just not the right time for that.”
“I looked at my team and I said the timing for this event is not right. It’s just not right with what’s happened recently, the flareup in Florida, to have a big convention, it’s not the right time,” Trump said. “I have to protect the American people. That’s what I’ve always done.”
The Republican convention is where the party formally nominates its presidential candidates. This year’s edition was originally set to take place in Charlotte, N.C. However, last month, Trump moved the bulk of the event to Jacksonville after North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said it would have to be scaled down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, Florida, which was among the first states to reopen, has seen a dramatic increase in coronavirus cases.
A number of prominent Republican officeholders said they did not plan to attend.
At the briefing, Trump said the portions of the convention that had been scheduled to stay in Charlotte — basically, the formal business sessions — will still go on. That includes the official nomination of candidates for president and vice president, although the number of delegates in attendance will be only 336, many fewer than in previous years. Trump also said he will still make a convention speech.
“We’re going to do some other things with tele rallies and online the week that we’re discussing, which will be really good,” said Trump. “And I’ll still do a convention speech in a different form, but we won’t do a big, crowded convention per se. It’s just not the right time for that.”
President Donald Trump’s whipsaw decisions to first move the Republican National Convention’s in-person main events, then to cancel them are costing GOP donors millions of dollars, according to multiple Republicans familiar with the finances.
Of the $38 million raised by the host committee for the convention’s original location — Charlotte, North Carolina — the majority has been spent, the Republican officials said. The host committee in Jacksonville, Florida, where Trump had moved the convention, raised an additional $6 million, but GOP officials said much of that money remains.
Now, the president’s team is searching not only for a new stage from which he can deliver a speech accepting his party’s nomination for a second term, but also a way to appease Republicans who have nothing to show for their donations.
Of the $38 million raised by the host committee for the convention’s original location — Charlotte, North Carolina — the majority has been spent, the Republican officials said. The host committee in Jacksonville, Florida, where Trump had moved the convention, raised an additional $6 million, but GOP officials said much of that money remains.
Now, the president’s team is searching not only for a new stage from which he can deliver a speech accepting his party’s nomination for a second term, but also a way to appease Republicans who have nothing to show for their donations.
