Republicans: Convention may have to scale down
WASHINGTON – Republicans scrambling to organize a four-day “celebration” in Florida in which President Donald Trump is set to accept the GOP presidential nomination face considerable uncertainty because of the coronavirus and may be forced to scale the festivities back to a single day.
The explosion of coronavirus cases in Florida – the state reported a sharp increase in COVID-19 deaths – and the later-than-usual selection of Jacksonville has cast doubt on the party’s ability to convene a major event there to rally supporters, five Republicans familiar with the planning said on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
Republican officials announced last month that Trump would move the highest-profile speeches of the Republican National Convention to Jacksonville from Charlotte, North Carolina, after the state’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, imposed a shelter-in-place order that could have severely limited the large, made-for-television event Trump wanted.
That was before the virus surged in Florida, a state where more people have tested positive than all but eight nations.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Trump ally, ordered the state’s large venues to limit capacity to 50%, and the city of Jacksonville requires face masks to be worn indoors. Republican officials plan to move several events out of the city’s VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena to outdoor spaces.
That sense of caution has ballooned despite Trump’s desire to project a back-to-normal image with a glitzy, star-studded convention that could help reset the presidential race. Polls indicate presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden leads in battleground states that Trump won narrowly in 2016, such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Initially, planners considered a three-day event in Jacksonville. According to a letter sent to delegates Thursday by Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, the party is now contemplating four days in Florida, Aug. 24-27, with events in multiple venues, including some outdoors.
Trump’s acceptance speech is still scheduled to take place in the arena. McDaniel said the RNC will also use a nearby amphitheater, TIAA Bank Field, home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, and 121 Financial Ballpark, the city’s minor league baseball stadium.
Party officials have announced only one specific event: Trump’s acceptance speech Aug. 27. The RNC letter indicates planners will limit attendance during the first days of the events to the 2,500 regular delegates, leaving out alternates. Trump’s acceptance speech would be open to guests and alternate delegates.
“When we made these changes, we had hoped to be able to plan a traditional convention celebration to which we are all accustomed,” McDaniel wrote. “However, adjustments must be made to comply with state and local health guidelines.”
A large convention would offer Trump a chance to unify an increasingly frayed party.
Republicans have had teams of planners working on Charlotte and Jacksonville events for weeks. GOP members familiar with the project said they remain hopeful they can produce a fullscale series of convention events but acknowledged it might not be possible because of COVID-19.
Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and other officials signaled the possibility of scaled-down events. After asserting in April that Republicans had “no contingency plan” if a traditional convention fizzled, those officials have taken to using the word “flexible.”
“Well, we’re going to see,” Trump said Monday.
Wednesday, Pence described the event as “a work in progress.”
Trump will probably accept the nomination with some kind of an address, officials stressed, but the idea of a multiday event in Jacksonville with hours of speeches and entertainment – the kind of raucous display that for years has characterized presidential nominating conventions for both parties – appeared increasingly unlikely.
Democrats planning to nominate Biden next month scaled back their convention and plan to conduct most of the party’s official business virtually.
Republican Party and White House officials said planning for a major event in Jacksonville continues in earnest. City officials, including the president of the City Council, a Democrat, said national party officials are moving ahead with logistics for a full-scale event.