Trump cancels Republican convention in Jacksonville due to coronavirus surge in Florida

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he is going to cancel the in-person Republican National Convention keynote events to be held in Jacksonville next month.
• Trump cited the surge in coronavirus cases in Florida, saying “it’s just not the right time” to hold a “big, crowded convention.”
• The GOP’s big events, highlighting Trump’s nomination speech will likely be done online.

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will no longer hold a large, in-person Republican National Convention in Jacksonville due to the surge in coronavirus cases in Florida. The events will likely be held virtually where he will give an acceptance speech.

“I told my team it’s time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida, component of the G.O.P. Convention. We will be starting in North Carolina for the Monday, as has always been planned, we were never taking that off,” the president announced during a press conference at the White House.

It was “not the right time” for a big convention, he said then added that he had “to protect the American people.”

Earlier this week, Jacksonville’s council president raised safety and health concerns regarding the convention and threatened to oppose a key funding bill for it.

The president mentioned that he had notified Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis about the decision. The convention speech will still be held but in a “different form,” not the in-person event he had hoped for.

The president is aware that the media will have a feast in criticizing him should he continue with the plan.

“I don’t want to be in that position,” he said.

Trump knows that Florida is one of the most critical battleground states in his reelection. In 2016, he earned 48.6 percent of the vote over Hillary Clinton’s 47.4% — a narrow win.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday revealed Trump’s struggles with Florida voters as 51 percent of them said they support his Democrat rival Joe Biden compared to 38 percent that said they will vote for Trump. Fifty-eight percent of Florida voters also said they believed the former Vice President would do a better job handling the coronavirus crisis compared to 38 percent for Trump.

Trump has earlier moved the GOP convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Jacksonville after state officials raised concerns about hosting such a huge event amid an ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Source: AOL