In a series of tweets Monday morning, President Trump threatened to move the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina.
Trump attacked North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, for continuing some social distancing measures as the state enters its phased reopening. Gatherings of more than 10 people remain prohibited in the state.
In a Fox News interview the same day, Vice President Mike Pence said Republicans were looking at states like Texas, Georgia, and Florida as alternatives.
“It’s an issue we’ve been talking about because these national conventions literally take many months to organize and prepare and there are states around the country — we think of Texas, we think of Florida, Georgia, the last two states I visited last week that have made tremendous progress on reopening their communities and reopening their economies,” Pence said.
For most businesses and events, Texas does not have a gathering limit, only an occupancy limit of 25 percent. As of yet, Abbott’s executive orders reopening the state have not specifically dealt with conventions.
“It doesn’t matter where the RNC holds their convention, Donald Trump’s historic unpopularity is going to cause him to lose Texas,” said Abhi Rahman, Communications Director for the Texas Democratic Party. “Nobody wants Trump in Texas. We recommend Trump host the RNC at one of his golf clubs.”
Photo: Loren Elliott/Getty Images
