The Trump campaign has officially announced that the Republican National Convention will be moved to the great city of Jacksonville!
Florida, of course, will be a highly competitive battleground in November.
By moving the convention to Florida, the Trump campaign is flexing its muscle and showing that it is playing to win every swing state and every battleground.
The Republican National Convention was originally slated to be held in North Carolina.
However, Democratic leadership in North Carolina have kept implementing strict social distancing precautions due to COVID-19.
It would have made such a convention nearly impossible to hold… or tiny, at the very best.
In Jacksonville, Florida, Trump will host a signature massive-campaign-style rally for his acceptance speech.
Ronna McDaniel, the GOP Chairwoman, was the first to break the news on Twitter:
The Trump re-election campaign is just warming up.
Democrats and their allies in the media have weaponized COVID-19 and the George Floyd protests in an attempt to damage President Trump.
By hosting the RNC in Florida, the Trump campaign is sending a strong message loud and clear: the President is all-in to defeat Joe Biden!
The Hill confirms this HUGE announcement:
The Republican National Convention will move its main events, including President Trump's acceptance speech as the party's nominee, to Jacksonville, Fla., the GOP announced Thursday night.
The move comes after a break with the governor of North Carolina over whether the massive gathering could take place in Charlotte, its originally planned location, without social distancing precautions.
"We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion in the great city of Jacksonville," GOP chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. "Not only does Florida hold a special place in President Trump’s heart as his home state, but it is crucial in the path to victory in 2020."
The party's official business will still take place in Charlotte, the party said in a news release. But most festivities, including speeches, will now occur in Jacksonville in late August.
Trump will deliver his speech on Aug. 27 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, which holds around 15,000 people.
Florida is among more than 20 states that have seen coronavirus cases increase over the last two weeks as businesses are allowed to reopen. There have been more than 2 million confirmed cases total in the U.S.
The shift in location was expected and follows a weeks-long battle between Trump and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) over what the convention would look like amid the coronavirus pandemic. The event typically attracts thousands of politicians, donors and media members and is the type of gathering health experts have outlawed to curb the spread of the virus.
The Democratic convention is still scheduled to take place in Milwaukee, though officials have discussed the possibility that it will be held virtually or in a modified form to allow for social distancing.
President Trump won North Carolina in 2016.
He wanted to host the convention there this year, but the Democratic leadership forced his hand.
Now, the convention will be in Florida, a great battleground state.
The convention may solidify Trump's support in the Sunshine state!
Here are previous comments from Trump regarding the convention in North Carolina.
Florida is a brilliant strategy for the Trump campaign.
It will help ensure that Florida votes for Trump again!
It will also force Joe Biden's campaign to divert their funds to the state if they want to be competitive there, thereby making it harder for Biden to compete in other states.
First Coast News reports that leadership in Florida is confident that they can hold a safe convention and prevent a COVID-19 outbreak:
Jacksonville Mayor Curry made a brief statement and took questions Friday morning regarding the announcement that Jacksonville has been selected to host the Republican National Convention in August.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the citizens of Jacksonville,” Curry said, also mentioning that this convention would be a great economic boost for businesses to get back on their feet after COVID-19 closures.
He said he's grateful to all people who made this happen and that it involved a lot of people behind scenes. Curry says even with numerous cities being considered for the convention, Jacksonville was able to come out on top.
Curry addressed concerns about the role of COVID-19 and how the city plans to navigate such large scale event as we come out of pandemic.
"We're going continue to act responsibly," he said. "We have over 25 testing locations in the city... Jacksonville has flattened the curve for weeks now."
So will people attending RNC events required to wear masks? Curry says he can't answer that right now. He says COVID-19 safety protocols are changing daily and he says it's likely that standards could look drastically different in August than what it does today.
[...]Curry said with the announcement of the convention comes the availability of federal funding that will allow him to bring in law enforcement and additional resources that will be subsidized by federal government.
The way President Trump handled the convention is the way he leads the country!
Strong leadership that demands that he be treated fairly! If the other side won't play fair, then Trump will go elsewhere to seal the deal!
Here's to securing his re-election!
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