The move is a surprising change for Trump, who moved the convention to Jacksonville after the North Carolina governor voiced public health concern about having massive gatherings in Charlotte, as the Republican Party had long planned.
Setback events will still be held in Charlotte, Trump said.
Trump said he informed his team that his focus was to protect the American people, despite advisers advising him that they could make a convention in person safe.
“I looked at my team and said that the timing for this event is not right. It just isn’t right,” Trump said at the White House. “To have a great convention, this is not the right time.”
“There is nothing more important in our country than keeping our people safe,” Trump said.
His decision on Thursday marks a complete change after insisting for months that an acceptance speech be given in person before a massive crowd.
Previously in the pandemic, Trump forced the Republican National Committee to embark on a comprehensive search for a new place to host a convention in person after the Democratic governor of North Carolina balked at the prospect of a major meeting.
Trump has now changed the convention’s plans in two key key states that he must win to have a chance for reelection.
The survey also found that 62% of respondents believed it would be unsafe to hold the event in Jacksonville, compared to 34% who thought it would be safe. Among Republicans, 69% said doing so would be safe, while 26% said they thought it would not be safe.
As recently as last week, convention organizers had planned to limit their crowd to 2,500 delegates in the first three nights of the event, followed by 7,000 on his last night, when Trump would deliver what would likely be the most important speech of his reelection. . bid on primetime television.
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel sent a letter to convention delegates last week informing them of the changes, telling them that the party intended to hold a convention celebration, but that it would do so by making adjustments. that comply with local health guidelines.
Those plans to cut the convention, and then a week later, cancel the Jacksonville portion entirely, were made when coronavirus cases increased in Florida.
“When we chose it, it wasn’t very hot. It was free. And suddenly, it happened quickly,” Trump said Thursday.
Trump said Republicans would still meet in Charlotte as planned on the first day of the four-day convention to handle official affairs.
He said Republicans will plan something “exciting,” but that it will be “nothing like having 25,000 people.”
Florida Republicans, who have been struggling to assemble the necessary components to carry out the Jacksonville convention, received little attention on the president’s decision to cancel the event.
A Florida Republican Party official told CNN that some leaders in the state were informed of the decision shortly before the president made the announcement during his press conference.
A Republican official in Jacksonville told CNN that a trip for local business leaders to Tampa next week, to meet people to learn about their experience at the 2012 convention, was abruptly canceled on Wednesday. The official did not receive a reason for the cancellation.
While Jacksonville’s business leaders were eager to showcase the city, many were deeply concerned that the Republican convention would attract untimely attention and the flames of racial unrest in the city.
The Duval County Sheriff had voiced his security concerns, and as of this week, the hotel’s plan remained a major topic of controversy.
“This result is better for Jacksonville,” a prominent Republican business leader told CNN.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny and Ryan Nobles contributed to this report.
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