The RNC finally announced this morning that it will limit in-person attendance at the Republican convention in Jacksonville next month, just as Florida surpassed 300,000 total cases of COVID-19, with more than 77,000 confirmed just in the last seven days. 

Donald Trump originally announced he was pulling the convention from Charlotte last month when Governor Roy Cooper said there would need to be health and safety guidelines enforced to prevent the spread of the virus. Now, the convention will still be trimmed down and the Charlotte community is learning firsthand what it’s like when Trump breaks his promises.  

NCDP Communications Director Austin Cook released the following statement: 

“Just in the few weeks since President Trump pulled the RNC from Charlotte, the recklessness of his demands has become even more clear. With today’s news, the President has finally recognized what Governor Cooper had been saying for weeks — that a full-scale convention with no safety measures would be dangerous and deeply irresponsible. If it wasn’t already obvious that Donald Trump’s attacks against the Governor were purely political, it is now. 

“Governor Cooper sought to work with the RNC’s leaders in good faith to plan a convention that would abide by the administration’s own health guidelines. The President, by contrast, did what he always does: politicized the situation and threw a tantrum when he couldn’t get his way. Even with this plan for a limited attendance, Republicans are still forgoing public health to find a way to satisfy Donald Trump’s insatiable ego, even if it means risking the safety of delegates, staff, media and the entire Jacksonville community.”