CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The main, made-for-TV moments of the RNC convention will no longer be taking place in the Queen City.
After months of planning in Charlotte, President Donald Trump is instead expected to give his speech accepting the nomination in Jacksonville, Florida.
The decision, announced by the RNC Thursday evening, came days after Trump tweeted that he was “forced to seek” a new location because he may not get the large acceptance event he wanted in Charlotte amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democratic, cited safety concerns when advising the RNC that due to the outbreak, a full-scale event may not be possible.
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“I’m extraordinarily disappointed,” said Jim Puckett, a Republican and former Mecklenburg County commissioner. “I happen to think the convention would have been a great example for the nation, that we can figure out how to hold large events safely.”
On Friday, the City of Charlotte responded to the RNC's announcement by saying, "Since being awarded the 2020 Republican National Convention, we have been working with our partners to meet our obligations and to help ensure a successful event for the Republican National Committee (RNC), as well as for the Charlotte community.
"Given the RNC’s formal notice to relocate most convention events to Jacksonville, FL., the City believes it is in the parties’ best interest to immediately unwind the agreements among them and hold the RNC accountable to fulfill all its outstanding obligations to the parties and make them whole."
Jacksonville now has less than three months to prepare for the convention gathering.
The city has a Republican mayor and governor. Both rolled out the welcome mat for the RNC.
“We thought for our needs Jacksonville was the best fit,” said Liz Harrington, national spokesperson for the RNC. She said Jacksonville offered them assurances they never got from Cooper.
“We are going to be able to have our full capacity event, which means over 19,000 people,” she said.
But, if the virus resurges, could that be scaled down – even in Florida? Harrington did not immediately rule that out.
“It’s always a possibility, but we’ve seen a real reopening of America,” she said.
RELATED: RNC 2020: If Not Charlotte, Where?
So, where does this leave North Carolina?
Some meetings will remain in the Queen City in the days leading up to the main events in Jacksonville, according to a letter sent to Charlotte-area leaders by the RNC Counsel’s Office.
Roughly 336 delegates out of more than 2,500 total would come to town for various meetings and votes before heading to Jacksonville. Among their tasks, the delegates will vote on the presidential nomination in Charlotte – though many will do so remotely by proxy.
The Spectrum Center, the letter says, would likely not be used.
In a statement, the Charlotte Host Committee tasked with planning the convention blasted the move to Jacksonville.
“Our good faith efforts to carry out our obligations under agreements made two years ago have been met with broken promises and disregard of the significant commitment from many partners across our region,” read the statement from CLT Host 2020, Inc. “We need to stop pretending there’s any part of the convention that will remain in Charlotte.”
The congresswoman who represents Charlotte also weighed in on the news of the convention moving.
Rep. Alma Adams, D-12th District, pushed back on the president’s call for a full-scale event in a tweet this week, writing, “The President’s decision to hold a large gathering without social distancing, face masks, or significant protective measures tells me that NO lives matter to him, not even those of his supporters.”