Democrat convention postponed to August amid COVID-19 concerns
The Democratic National Convention scheduled for July has been postponed until August due to the coronavirus pandemic; reaction on 'Outnumbered.'
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez says he’s still aiming to hold an “in-person” national presidential nominating convention this summer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Earlier this month, the DNC announced that they were pushing back the date for the convention from July 13-16 to the week of Aug. 17, due to health concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Perez, in a conference call with reporters on Monday, said “yes, we postponed it. But we look forward to having a convention that enables us to demonstrate and showcase our values."
DEMOCRATS PUSH BACK PRESIDENTIAL CONVENTION FROM JULY TO AUGUST
And earlier – in an interview with Politico – he emphasized that “we moved our convention back five weeks because we wanted to maximize our opportunities to have an in-person convention, to have as muscular a convention, as exciting a convention as possible.”
Perez on Monday also acknowledged that “we're planning for the best, hoping for the best, but we're planning for every contingency. And we will continue as we get closer and closer to the convention to listen very carefully to what our public health professionals have to say.”
Earlier this month, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden cautioned that “we may have to do a virtual convention. I think we should be thinking about that right now. The idea of holding the convention is going to be necessary. We may not be able to put 10, 20, 30,000 people in one place and that’s very possible.”
Biden added that health conditions going forward should dictate if the convention’s held in person, saying “let’s see where it is — and what we do between now and then is going to dictate a lot of that as well. But my point is that I think you just got to follow the science.”
Perez, in his Monday comments, also took aim at President Trump and his counterparts at the Republican National Committee – saying that the DNC was moving forward “not with our public health head in the sand, but with the advice and assistance of everybody involved, including our public health professionals.”
Late last month the president – in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News – said that there’s “no way” the Republican convention would be canceled.
TRUMP SAYS 'NO WAY' REPUBLICAN CONVENTION WILL BE CANCELLED
“No way I’m going to cancel the convention. We’re going to have the convention, it's going to be incredible,” Trump said on "Hannity."
The coronavirus outbreak, which has spread globally, has forced most Americans to huddle in their homes in hopes of preventing the spread of the virus, which causes the deadly COVID-19 disease. Those venturing outside are urged to practice social distancing – keeping a minimum of six feet apart – and all large gatherings have been scrapped.
More from Politics
