DeSantis: Florida would ‘love’ to host the GOP convention
Florida’s Republican Party and Gov. Ron DeSantis want President Donald Trump to know that the Sunshine State is willing and able to host this year’s GOP convention.
Trump’s Memorial Day tweets threatening to pull the convention out of Charlotte, N.C., set off speculation that the convention could be moved to Florida, a state led by a close Trump ally.
DeSantis said Tuesday in Miami he hasn’t spoken directly with Trump, but his office let the White House know Florida is open to hosting the Republican National Convention.
“Florida would love to have the RNC,” DeSantis said. “Heck, I am a Republican, it would be good for us to have the DNC [Democratic National Convention] in terms of the economic impact.”
The Republican governor said he thinks Trump would “obviously” abide by his administration’s safety requirements when hosting a convention.
On Monday, Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, jumped on the president’s tweets to plug his home state, which is wellversed in hosting political conventions, Super Bowls and other big events. It also is a pivotal swing state that could determine the outcome of the election.
“The Republican Party of Florida would welcome the opportunity to host the Republican National Convention,” he said in a text message. “Florida is committed to ensuring a safe, secure and successful event for President Trump and all attendees.”
The convention, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people, is scheduled for Aug. 24-27 at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center. DeSantis said he isn’t supporting a particular host city, but he mentioned Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville as possibilities. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry tweeted Tuesday his city would be “honored to host the Republican National Convention,” noting that Jacksonville hosted the nation’s first major sporting event since the pandemic hit. Earlier in May, Jacksonville hosted Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena with no fans inside the building.
On Monday, Trump wrote that North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy
Cooper was still in “shutdown mood,” and the party could be forced to find an alternative location if the state didn’t commit to allowing the arena to be fully occupied.
In a statement, Cooper’s press secretary Dory MacMillan said that state health officials are working with the Republican National Committee, and “North Carolina is relying on data and science to protect our state’s public health and safety.”
Two days before Trump’s tweets, North Carolina reported its highest one-day number of confirmed COVID-19 cases with 1,107 cases.
The New York Times reported last week that Trump wondered aloud to aides why the convention couldn’t be held in a ballroom in Florida.
Later on Memorial Day, Trump tweeted that he is not considering Trump National Doral Miami, and he would like the convention to be held in North Carolina.
In an interview with Fox News, Vice President Mike Pence said the convention could be moved to a state “farther along on reopening” if necessary.