NC coronavirus cases surge as Trump demands full-capacity GOP convention

North Carolina is grappling with a steady surge in new coronavirus cases as President Trump demands the state to accommodate a full-capacity Republican convention.

The number of infected residents continues to rise in North Carolina, where Republicans have for two years planned to hold their national convention this August.

There are 24,418 confirmed cases in the state, with 1,600 new infections reported on Friday — the largest single-day rise North Carolina has seen, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Trump still has insisted Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper allow for the Republican National Convention to pack the Spectrum Center in Charlotte for the event. The president on Monday tweeted threats to move the convention if Cooper wouldn’t cooperate.

Cooper on Tuesday said that he is still in talks with Republicans over the logistics for the convention. His administration has demanded a written safety plan from the convention’s organizers and brushed off Trump’s tweets, saying he’s “not surprised at anything that happens on Twitter.”

“We have asked them to present a plan on paper to us laying out the various options that we’ve already discussed,” Cooper said. “They know we’re talking about a time that’s three months from now, so we have to have options regarding how this convention is going to be run depending on where we are with the virus in August.”

North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County, which includes Charlotte, has recorded nearly 3,400 coronavirus cases — more than double the next highest county.

Cooper has eased up on the state’s lockdown, though, allowing for restaurants to allow customers to dine inside. But the governor, like other states easing out of lockdowns, has still barred gatherings at venues, bars and gyms.

Trump on Tuesday insinuated that Cooper was intentionally slow-walking a reopening and said he would have the Republican National Committee explore alternatives if they can’t get confirmation “within a week.”

“We have a governor who doesn’t want to open up the state,” Trump said. “He’s been acting very, very slowly and very suspiciously.”

With Post Wires