But for Trump, who for months has resisted pleas to take the virus seriously, the decision reflected a sudden change in stance. During the past week, the President resurrected his reports on the coronavirus, urged people to wear masks, and admitted that the virus “will unfortunately, likely, get worse before it gets better.”
In fact, by Thursday, the president had reached an agreement to disconnect, not betray anger or irritation at being forced to withdraw, according to a person familiar with his dealings on the matter.
“The President made the right decision. With 10,000 new cases daily [in Florida]It was clear that a decision had to be made. It’s not good for his politics, “said Brian Ballard, a veteran Republican lobbyist and Trump ally who had been raising money for the convention.” It would have been good for him to have been broadcast live from Jacksonville for three nights, but he made the decision. it was the best for everyone involved. I’m not sure what’s next, but this was the right decision.
Deliberations on canceling the convention accelerated in the 36 hours leading up to Trump’s announcement in the White House briefing room on Thursday, a person familiar with the discussions said. The president told reporters covering the latest in his newly revived coronavirus briefs that it was “not the right time” to hold a “big and crowded convention.”
But behind the scenes, high-ranking Republicans had been considering giving up an event in person for months. Even before deciding to move the Charlotte convention to Jacksonville last month, party officials considered scrapping it. As coronavirus cases increased across the country, they considered a variety of options on how to safely organize Trump’s coronation, even as the president and party moved forward with Jacksonville fundraising and planning.
Achieving it even in the best case scenario would be an amazing task. Typically, a party spends years planning a convention; Republicans had just two months to raise the required $ 20 to $ 25 million, and they turned to a veteran party fundraiser, Jeff Miller, to help them do it. But money would turn out to be the easy part compared to discovering the sheer logistics of holding a convention during a pandemic.
After meeting with Trump at the White House last week, organizers decided on a plan to curtail the event. Only delegates and a guest of their choice could attend Trump’s nomination speech on August 27, McDaniel wrote in a letter to RNC members.
McDaniel made four trips to Jacksonville to chart plans, most recently two weeks ago. His staff would travel to Florida weekly.
Tony Sayegh, a former Treasury Department official who helped lead the White House impeachment defense, was hired to help schedule the four-day event.
But as planning intensified, discussions about closing the celebration also increased. Coronavirus cases skyrocketed in the Jacksonville area. And for this week, convention officials were facing another growing problem: security.
“As we speak today, we are still not close to having some kind of plan that we can work with that makes me feel comfortable that we are going to keep that event and the community safe,” Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams told POLITICO Monday explaining your reasons for not providing law enforcement.
Republican officials hoped they could run the convention and raise the necessary money. But Trump was getting warmer at the prospect of screwing up. He hinted at his next decision Tuesday and told reporters that “Florida is in a slightly difficult or very difficult position.”
By Wednesday night, he was making calls to confidants to raise the idea of canceling. She finally pulled the trigger on Thursday afternoon and began informing her close associates of her decision.
The turning point, according to attendees, was the recognition of the overwhelming health risks. Florida has surpassed 10,000 new cases of coronavirus almost every day for at least two weeks. On Thursday, the state Department of Health reported a record 173 new deaths. The state’s positivity rate, which has not dropped below 10 percent for a month and reached more than 12 percent on Thursday.
Hoping to prevent the news from leaking and knowing that Trump wanted to break the news himself, attendees maintained a closed circle of people involved in the deliberations. Organizers on the ground in Florida said they learned of the decision when Trump appeared on television on Thursday. Donors were also caught off guard.
The older Republicans were relieved. They no longer have to fight to organize a massive event in the face of a pandemic.
But more importantly, the announcement showed that Trump finally understood that his rude approach to the pandemic was lowering his hopes for reelection.
Organizers say they are considering alternative plans for the late-August convention, even if it will be in a fully virtual format. Like the Democrats, they plan to have four nights of programming.
Regardless of their decision to drop the convention, Democrats said they intend to make Trump’s coronavirus response central to his general election message.
“I am pleased that Donald Trump has put his head out of the sand long enough to realize the predictable and preventable disaster he was about to inflict on the city of Jacksonville,” Florida Democratic Party President Terrie said in a statement. Rizzo.
