Charlotte Democrat Councilman: 'No Way' GOP Convention Can Take Place

Democrat Charlotte City Councilman Larken Egleston said Monday there was “no way” the GOP convention scheduled to take place August 24 could go on as planned due to the coronavirus.

“There’s no way for the governor at this point to say he could have an arena full of people or that Charlotte could have 50,000 people coming into town for any event. And frankly, I think the only thing you can say definitively is that wouldn’t be responsible three months from now,” Egleston said in an appearance on CNN’s New Day.

“So if we’re going to host this convention, it’s going to have to look very different than we thought it was going to, and the president should acknowledge that,” he added.

President Donald Trump threatened to pull the GOP convention from Charlotte if North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper could not promise it could go on as planned.

“Unfortunately, Democrat Governor Roy Cooper is still in Shutdown mood and unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the arena … Plans are being made by many thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to head to beautiful North Carolina in August,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Republicans insist that they are moving forward with plans for an in-person convention come August, despite all the uncertainty about the coronavirus and warnings from public health officials about avoiding large gatherings.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said officials from other states have offered to host the convention if things with North Carolina fall through.

“We want to have it in North Carolina,” McDaniel said on Fox & Friends Monday. “The president loves North Carolina. It’s just the governor, and he’s got to work with us.”

The Democrats, on the other hand, have already scaled back their convention plans in Milwaukee on August 17. Although plans have not been finalized, they plan to take key portions of the convention online.