Trump wants answer from Gov. Cooper 'within a week' on whether GOP can hold 2020 RNC in Charlotte
President Trump increases pressure of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper over status of the 2020 Republican National Convention.
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The Republican National Committee sent a list of proposed coronavirus safety protocols to North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday, urging him to “set the rules and requirements” for them to host a “safe and secure” 2020 GOP convention in the state as planned.
In a letter to Cooper, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and the president and CEO of the 2020 GOP convention, Marcia Lee Kelly, said the party’s goal is to still host the event in Charlotte, N.C., in August.
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“Knowing that President Trump and the RNC can provide a much needed and timely stimulus to Charlotte and the entire region has only steeled our resolve to hold an in-person, energetic, five-star event here while also perpetually maintaining safety foremost in mind,” they wrote.
“To accomplish the goals we all share, which includes helping North Carolina and the region to regain its economic footing, clear guidelines from your administration are needed,” they continued. “We believe that moving forward requires direction and setting expectations to plan for a major event.”
McDaniel and Kelly went on to note that many members of their convention team and their families moved to North Carolina and have been planning the event “for years.”
“We have invested millions of dollars but now we are at a crossroads,” they wrote, noting that potential attendees of the convention and businesses who would benefit from the large-scale event “are looking to you to set the rules and requirements for the RNC to hold a safe, secure event.”
They added: “We still do not have solid guidelines from the State and cannot in good faith, ask thousands of visitors to begin paying deposits and making travel plans without knowing the full commitment of the Governor, elected officials and other stakeholders in supporting the Convention.”
McDaniel and Kelly went on to say that a “successful convention” under RNC rules require “delegates, alternates, elected officials, guests and media to be in attendance as President Trump is nominated for a second term.”
The two proposed safety protocols, including pre-travel health surveys, daily health care questionnaires delivered via app, and thermal scans of all mandatory attendees prior to boarding “sanitized and pre-arrange transportation.”
They also proposed anti-bacterial gel be made “widely available” and “aggressive” sanitizing protocol for all public areas.
“Our planned transportation buses will be dropped off at the Charlotte Convention Center which will act as a mandatory hub for a final health care screening my health care officials,” they wrote. “All attendees would have to pass a clean health check prior to entering the dedicated chute to the Spectrum Arena -- where all attendees would then be processed through normal United States Secret Service with normal event queue lines.”
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They added that media suites and hospitality areas would “be subject to food service guidelines similar to any other restaurant.”
“With your approval on those proposed safety protocols, and in addition to Secret Service requirements, we will then work with all the stakeholders and principals to execute a detailed plan to secure our shared goal of a safe and secure convention,” they wrote.
“President Trump and the Republican National Committee want to hold a safe and successful 2020 Republican National Convention in the impressive city of Charlotte and the great state of North Carolina,” they wrote. “We are asking for a partner in leadership to make this happen.”
McDaniel and Kelly gave Cooper a deadline of June 3, noting that “time is of the essence.”
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The RNC convention is scheduled for August 24-27.
The RNC letter to Cooper comes after Trump warned Cooper that he has "a week" to figure out if the Republicans' presidential nominating convention can be held in Charlotte this summer, as other states offered to hold the gathering instead.
Earlier this week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said that “Georgia would be honored to safely host” the RNC this summer and asked Trump to consider holding the convention in the state.
But Cooper, this week, said that the state has “been in talks with the RNC about the kind of convention that they would need to run and the kind of options that we need on the table.”
“We’re talking about something that’s going to happen three months from now and we don’t know what our situation is going to be regarding COVID-19 in North Carolina,” he said this week. “These are the same kind of conversations that we’re having with the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Hornets, other large arena owners. Everybody wants to get back into action soon but I think everybody knows that we have to take some steps to make sure that people are protected because this virus is still going to be with us in August and we’re going to have to take steps to protect people.”
Meanwhile, earlier this month, the RNC hired Dr. Jeffrey Runge, a leading national health security official and medical practitioner, to join the GOP convention team as a senior adviser for health and safety planning.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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