President Donald Trump canceled the GOP’s plans to host a convention in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, saying the safety of Americans was his priority.
Trump had moved the rally portion of the Republican Party’s convention from North Carolina to Florida earlier this year, after Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper refused to allow the rally to take place his state without concessions to social distancing.
Florida was going to allow the rally to take place, but the administration has now seen fit to cancel it, Trump announced at a Thursday press briefing. (RELATED: Six Republican Senators Say They Will Likely Not Attend Republican National Convention)
“I told my team it’s time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida component” of @GOPconvention but delegates are still to gather in North Carolina, announces @POTUS. “We won’t do a big, crowded convention per se.”
— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) July 23, 2020
The typical events of a convention will reportedly still take place in North Carolina, but large groups will not be present. The Democratic Party had previously scaled back the rally portion of their convention in Wisconsin.
“Leadership means being able to adapt to any situation,” Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez said in a statement at the time. “That’s exactly what we’ve done with our convention. Unlike this president, Joe Biden and Democrats are committed to protecting the health and safety of the American people.”