President Trump blames North Carolina governor Roy Cooper for not allowing a ‘full’ Republican National Convention in Charlotte

Back on April 10, 2020 I blogged about Donald Trump Shifting blame elsewhere and provided a Wheel of Blame for keeping track. The latest addition to that wheel (shown above) is yet another Democrat - North Carolina’s governor Roy Cooper. Almost two years ago the Republican National Convention (RNC) was planned for the 20,000 seat Spectrum Center owned by the City of Charlotte. It had previously hosted the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

On April 2, 2020 there was an editorial in The Charlotte Observer which asked (due to the Coronavirus and rising numbers of new cases in North Carolina) The Republican convention is becoming unlikely. Who’s going to tell the president? On May 15, 2020 there instead was a Republican press release titled 100 Days until Convention Begins with the following glowing description:

“The 2020 Republican National Convention will be held at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 24-27, 2020. Nearly 50,000 visitors– including delegates, members of the media and guests – are expected to gather to witness history as we re-nominate President Donald J. Trump as President of the United States. This 5-star event will play an integral role in promoting local businesses and generating millions of dollars across the region. It will leave a lasting impact – not only in the ‘Queen City’ of Charlotte, but also across the nation as we celebrate together American greatness.”

Let’s Pretend There is No Pandemic and Things Are Normal!

But on May 25, 2020 there was an article in The Charlotte Observer titled Trump threatens to pull GOP convention from Charlotte unless ‘full attendance’ allowed and the president tweeted:

“I love the Great State of North Carolina so much that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor Roy Cooper is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena. In other words, we would be spending millions of dollars building the Arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space. Plans are being made by thousands of enthusiastic Republicans, and others, to head to beautiful North Carolina in August. They must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied. If not we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site. This is not something I want to do. Thank you, and I LOVE the people of North Carolina!”

The Convention provided a sideshow for diverting attention away from the May 25, 2020 death of George Floyd. There was an article in The Charlotte Observer on May 29, 2020 titled Trump calls Cooper, asks for full GOP convention with no social distancing or masks, and an article on May 30, 2020 titled GOP planning for 19,000 in attendance, full bars and restaurants for Charlotte convention. Another article on June 2, 2020 was titled NC’s top health official signals that bid for a packed GOP convention is a non-starter. On June 2, 2020 the president tweeted:

“Had long planned to have the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, a place I love. Now NC Governor Roy Cooper and his representatives refuse to guarantee that we can have use of the Spectrum Arena – Spend millions of dollars, have everybody arrive, and then tell them they will not be able to gain entry. Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised. Would have showcased beautiful North Carolina to the World and brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, and jobs for the State. Because of NC Governor we are now forced to seek another State to host the 2020 Republican National Convention.”

The usual way to find another host would be to simply contact the other cities who had submitted bids to hold the RNC convention. But an article by Steve Harrison at NPR on June 2, 2020 titled Trump suggests GOP move convention after N.C. Gov. refuses to allow packed arenas said that ONLY Charlotte had bid for it.

Is the Spectrum Center big enough to hold a socially distanced convention? Probably yes. On January 17, 2020 there was an article from WBTV3 in Charlotte titled What you need to know about the Republican National Convention and how it works. It explained:

“There will be 2,550 delegates in Charlotte, a similar number of alternate delegates, and then each alternate and delegate has guest passes. So you’re looking at about 10,000 people showing up just to be in the convention hall.”

Just the delegates easily would fit inside, and both the delegates and alternates might fit. What alternatives are there around Charlotte for holding 20,000 for a spectacular show like the president wants? They both are outdoor facilities. The Bank of America stadium seats 75,000, and the Charlotte Motor Speedway seats over 94,000. An article by Reid Wilson at The Hill on June 7, 2020 discussed Why Republicans aren’t likely to move their convention out of Charlotte.