We don't want the rioters and protestors in North Carolina -- please keep your GOP convention in Florida. Face masks required in Jacksonville starting at 5 p.m. Monday https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/...ity-officials-say/6MXZJASIOZGNDIPTWNF7AGXTO4/
Florida’s coronavirus outbreak complicates Republican convention, Trump’s reelection bid https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article243866487.html Please God - - don't send the GOP Convention back to North Carolina. We don't want this shiat.
In N.C. Governor Cooper's COVID press briefing to day he had to field several questions about the GOP Convention moving back to North Carolina. He responded in a non-committal manner saying any large public event would need to follow state COVID-19 guidelines. The last damn thing we want back in our state is the GOP Convention with all the associated protestors. Jacksonville Florida took it promising that they would impose no COVID-19 restrictions now they got to keep it.
What a complete idiot Trump is... so now the convention in Jacksonville will have same restrictions as the one formerly in Charlotte. As COVID cases spike in Florida, Trump now says he's 'flexible' on convention format in Jacksonville https://news.yahoo.com/as-covid-cas...vention-format-in-jacksonville-154640613.html With coronavirus cases exploding in Florida, President Trump said he is “flexible” about the need for a traditional indoor Republican National Convention in Jacksonville next month. The Republican National Committee had scrapped plans to hold the party’s convention in Charlotte, N.C., after Gov. Roy Cooper said he would only allow “a scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings.” In a television interview with former Fox anchor Greta Van Susteren, Trump suggested the format for the Aug. 24-27 event would depend on the severity of the outbreak in the Sunshine State. “Well, we’re always looking at different things,” the president said on Tuesday. “When we signed in Jacksonville, we wanted to be in North Carolina. That almost worked out, but the governor didn’t want to have people use the arena, essentially. And so I said, ‘Too bad for North Carolina.’” Trump said that when the RNC announced it was changing venues, Florida “looked good.” “It’s spiking up a little bit,” he told Van Susteren. “And that’s going to go down. It really depends on the timing. Look, we’re very flexible. We can do a lot of things, but we’re very flexible.” The interview ran on Gray Television, a network based in Atlanta, where Van Susteren is now chief political correspondent. Trump’s comments suggested he was taking a more cautious approach to the pandemic, which has killed more than 130,000 people in the U.S. and infected over 3 million. Florida is among several states that have experienced significant increases in cases. Several prominent Republican lawmakers have already said they will not attend the convention, including Sens. Chuck Grassley, Lamar Alexander, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney. According to the Florida Department of Health, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state has doubled in the past two weeks, going from 100,000 cases to 213,794. Over the weekend, the state set daily records with more than 10,000 new cases reported on both Saturday and Sunday. Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a close Trump ally, was forced to roll back the state’s reopening plans, imposing restrictions that include limiting the capacity of indoor facilities to 50 percent. On Tuesday, DeSantis refused to say whether he would lift the mandate for the convention, which would limit it to 7,500 people. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, who lobbied for the city to host the event, announced Tuesday that he and his family are in self-quarantine after he was exposed to a person who tested positive for COVID-19. In a separate interview with RealClearPolitics, Trump refuted recent reports that he does not want to be elected to a second term, as he continues to fall in polling behind former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee. “I want it with all my breath,” Trump said.
Pandemic mars Trump's GOP convention plans https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/506488-pandemic-mars-trumps-gop-convention-plans President Trump’s plans for a full-scale GOP convention in Jacksonville, Fla., next month are looking increasingly bleak amid rising numbers of coronavirus cases. The state of Florida has experienced a significant surge in COVID-19 that shows little sign of slowing, and five GOP senators already have said they do not plan to attend the events in Jacksonville, where Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech formally accepting the Republican presidential nomination. Republicans describe a convention that is consumed by unknowns following Trump’s decision to shift some festivities from Charlotte, N.C., to Jacksonville after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said plans would have to be scaled back because of the pandemic’s danger. One Republican operative with knowledge of the discussions said the recent spike in cases in that state has created a tremendous amount of uncertainty. “It all seems very much up in the air right now,” said a second GOP source with knowledge of the convention plans. Official convention business is still set to take place in Charlotte, but Trump wants the celebrations to be in Florida. Cable networks are expected to send a smaller number of journalists to cover the event due to the pandemic, and some Republicans said it would be difficult for convention planners to secure corporate sponsors for the event due to the optics of holding a convention amid the pandemic. A third Republican acknowledged it may be difficult to raise money for the Jacksonville event after donors contributed tens of millions of dollars toward the one in Charlotte. “We’re having to start from scratch,” the Republican said. Dan Eberhart, a GOP fundraiser and CEO of oil drilling company Canary, said there has been “a lot of mixed messaging” around the convention plans. Older donors who would normally push for key roles are hesitant to attend given the health risks, said Eberhart. He also said some donors are concerned that the GOP majority in the Senate is at risk because of Trump. “Trump is so toxic in some of these states that you could have some ticket splitting,” Eberhart said. “I am wanting to go but still mulling the decision and wondering how big it will actually be.” Trump in June insisted on moving the convention from Charlotte, saying Cooper’s refusal to allow the event to go on as planned had forced the GOP’s hand. Trump, who feeds off large crowds, has also pressed forward with large campaign rallies amid the pandemic despite the risk they pose of spreading the virus. “It’s tough any time you’re doing something in two months that normally takes years, but it will come together,” the third Republican said. “It’s not easy — no one knows what the virus landscape will look like in August, but we’re being flexible. There is a lot of concern about the virus, and we understand some people are not going to want to go. But I think most folks are going to want to come, and we’ll see that in the next few days as deposits come in for hotel rooms in the area.” Trump seemed to acknowledge in an interview Tuesday that the coronavirus could ultimately force the party to adjust its plans. “Now all of a sudden it’s spiking up a little bit, and that’s going to go down. It really depends on the timing. Look, we’re very flexible, we could do a lot of things, but we’re very flexible,” Trump told Greta Van Susteren, host of “Full Court Press.” Duval County, the home of Jacksonville, reported 348 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the county’s total reported cases to 9,835. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry (R), who played a major role in bringing the convention to the city, revealed on Tuesday that he and his family were self-quarantining after he came into contact with an individual who had tested positive for the virus. The Duval County Republican Party referred The Hill to a statement from last month, in which Chairman Dean Black said the party was “ecstatic” about Jacksonville being chosen for the event. Florida reported 7,347 new cases on Tuesday, bringing its total to 213,794. The largest share of cases has been centered in Miami-Dade County, where more than 51,000 people have contracted the virus. Jacksonville in late June instituted a mandatory mask policy requiring residents to wear face coverings at indoor establishments and in public places. It is not clear whether that requirement will be in place at the end of August, when the convention events are scheduled to take place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The Republican National Committee plans to make COVID-19 testing available to those attending the convention. The Republican operative privy to the planning discussions also said that the event would feature smaller gatherings in place of large parties that usually accompany such events. “I don’t think you’re going to have a full convention in Jacksonville, just like you’re not going to have a full convention in North Carolina,” the person said. Florida currently has a rule in place limiting indoor gatherings to 50 percent capacity, which would cap the convention center gathering at 7,500 people. Curry’s office did not respond to a request for comment about whether the city would enforce the limited capacity rule for the GOP convention. About 200 Florida-based doctors signed an open letter to Curry’s office in late June asking him to postpone the convention and require that masks be worn. The doctors estimated that the convention would draw 40,000 people to Jacksonville from all over the country, including the press and protesters, which they said would result in “increased hospitalizations, long-term health problems, and deaths.” The Trump campaign, however, is expressing optimism that the convention will go on and be a success. “President Trump and Vice President Pence are looking forward to celebrating the incredible success of their first term and their re-nomination by the most united Republican Party in decades,” said spokesman Ken Farnaso.
Republicans considering an outdoor stadium for Florida convention: report https://thehill.com/homenews/campai...door-stadium-for-convention-in-florida-report GOP officials are considering moving next month's Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Fla., to an outdoor stadium amid ongoing concerns about the coronavirus, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Republican leaders are looking at two outdoor professional sports stadiums to potentially house the convention, but no decisions have been made for a relocation, several officials with knowledge of the plans told the Post. Currently, the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena is slated to host the convention, where President Trump will officially accept the Republican nomination, in late August. The two locations under consideration include 121 Financial Ballpark, which holds minor league baseball games and seats about 11,000 people, and the TIAA Bank Field, where the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars play, which holds 65,000 people. The VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, which is in walking distance from both new stadiums, seats 15,000 people, but health experts have cautioned against large gatherings indoors amid the pandemic. Sources told the Post that party officials toured both stadiums during meetings in Jacksonville. Two Republicans involved with the planning told the newspaper that they were also examining the logistics of hosting an outdoor convention. The president has been briefed on the options of moving the convention from the arena and is expected to make a decision in the coming days. The Republican National Committee did not immediately return a request for comment. The potential change in plans highlights the uncertainty of planning the convention as cases in Florida have surged to record highs in recent days. Trump moved the GOP convention to Jacksonville after fighting with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) about coronavirus restrictions at its originally planned location in Charlotte. Officials have said they will follow the local COVID-19 regulations in effect in Jacksonville at the time of the convention. So far six GOP senators, including Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and Susan Collins (Maine), have said they will not be present at the convention over coronavirus concerns. Florida has documented 232,718 cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic and 4,009 deaths, according to state data. Duval County, where Jacksonville is located, has counted 11,028 cases and 74 deaths. The weekly count of cases in Duval County has recently jumped to more than 700 from about 100 in early June, according to the Post. Florida recorded the biggest daily increase in cases out of any state in the country on Saturday with 11,458.
COVID-19 and Florida's governor could tank Trump's renomination festivities The same restrictions that drove the GOP convention out of North Carolina are in place for Jacksonville. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...-tank-trump-renomination-festivities-n1233698
“Everybody just assumes no one is going" Guess Trump won't have to worry about his convention being crowded... The Republican National Convention in Jacksonville Suffers Another Round of Dropouts https://nymag.com/intelligencer/202...uffers-another-round-of-notable-dropouts.html Five GOP senators stated last week that they would not attend the diluted version of the Republican National Convention in August, citing “the virus situation” (86-year-old Chuck Grassley) or just not being welcome at an event celebrating the president (Mitt Romney). This week, the attrition continues: According to the New York Times, Senators Roy Blunt of Missouri and Pat Roberts of Kansas are declining their RSVP to a live event held in a state that just broke the record for the most new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day. “Everybody just assumes no one is going,” said Representative Darin LaHood of Illinois, borrowing the logic of a party host with low self-esteem. LaHood was one of eight House members who told the Times he would not attend — despite being an honorary state co-chairman for the Trump campaign. Even Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart and Francis Rooney are turning down their invitations, though their southern Florida districts are about a five-hour drive away. The Times also notes that party figures including Marco Rubio, Liz Cheney, and Trump champion Ron Johnson have not committed to the event. While Diaz-Balart, Rooney, and Blunt did not attend the 2016 convention, Roberts — who is 84 and retiring next year — told the paper that he “didn’t know what was canceled and what was not and whatever.” That hasn’t been a one-off complaint. With the pandemic escalating in Florida, the expectations and safety procedures have been changing by the week. According to the Washington Post, RNC planners have looked at moving Trump’s acceptance speech and other live events to an outdoor arena, which may cause problems in Jacksonville in the sweltering late days of August. About a month out, the convention is shaping up to be a disaster — though the president’s impulse to celebrate himself may keep the event on the calendar, rain or community spread or shine. As the Times notes, the risk of travel during a pandemic may result in a “crowd that is far Trumpier than in 2016,” when the party was a little more reluctant to accept its audacious primary winner. And with the campaign reportedly struggling to keep Trump’s rallies going after the mess in Tulsa, an acceptance speech among true believers may be a highlight for the president in his reelection summer, regardless of the coronavirus exposure he might be forcing on his base.
Oh shiat... it is back in Charlotte President Trump said that he had canceled the portion of the Republican National Convention slated for Jacksonville, Fla., citing the virus. Thursday, July 23, 2020 5:43 PM EST Mr. Trump’s decision to cancel the large event in Jacksonville came weeks after he initially pulled the event from North Carolina amid a debate with the state’s governor over social distancing guidelines. He said that he would still keep a much smaller meeting of Republican delegates, scheduled for August in North Carolina, on the calendar. “The timing for the event is not right,” President Trump said during a briefing, citing the coronavirus. A new Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters showed Joe Biden leading Mr. Trump by 13 percentage points. “It’s time to cancel the Jacksonville, Florida, component of the G.O.P. convention,” President Trump said at the White House. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/...it_na_20200723&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news