Is The RNC Heading To Jacksonville After Being Spurned By NC? It’s Looking Like It

President Trump and national GOP likely to move bulk of the convention to Jacksonville.

While keeping some business aspects of the gathering in Charlotte, The Republican National Committee has provisionally decided to move the bulk of its political convention to Jacksonville, Florida, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

According to WFAE Radio, Charlotte City Attorney Patrick Baker and the RNC planners have yet to pin down what the business portion of the convention in Charlotte would entail. The political pageantry and President Trump’s acceptance of his party’s nomination would take place more than 380 miles away in the coastal Florida city.

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The shift was planned after “President Trump told officials in North Carolina that he did not want to use social distancing measures aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus,” The New York Times reported.

Citing Covid-19 related health and safety reasons, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper had rebuffed Trump’s demand for a full convention without social distancing or face masks earlier this month. Cooper’s office has requested specific safety plans from RNC leadership multiple times, but has yet to receive a response.