Jacksonville, Florida, has been selected to host the celebration marking President Donald Trump´s acceptance of his party´s nomination for reelection, the Republican National Committee chairwoman said Thursday.
RNC chair Ronna McDaniel made the announcement a day after saying that Jacksonville was a front-runner to hold the event.
The governor of North Carolina, the official host of this summer´s Republican National Convention, had balked at promising Trump a full-blown convention in Charlotte free from social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic.
‘We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion in the great city of Jacksonville,’ McDaniel said. ‘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. We look forward to bringing this great celebration and economic boon to the Sunshine State in just a few short months.’
Jacksonville, Florida, has been selected to host the celebration marking President Donald Trump´s acceptance of his party´s nomination for reelection
McDaniel said the event would be held at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, which holds 15,000 people. She said more details would be released in the coming weeks.
The party’s more mundane business, including discussions over the platform, will still be held in Charlotte because of contractual obligations.
The president said Wednesday that he had ‘no choice’ but to move the convention to another location and previewed that he would be announcing the new venue shortly.
‘We’ll see how it all works out, but the governor doesn’t want to give an inch,’ Trump said during an previously unannounced Cabinet Room meeting with black supporters on Wednesday afternoon.
He is referencing North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, who has said he would not allow the RNC to fill a stadium for Trump’s coronation speech as the Republican nominee.
He said that while North Carolina is snubbing the event, there are ‘many, many states’ that would like to host the convention, including Texas, Georgia and Florida.
The desire comes for Trump to give his acceptance speech of his nomination to his usual massive crowd since he has been cut off from holding his rallies. Ironically, the last rally he held was in Charlotte, North Carolina – the original location for the Republican Convention
Florida, where Trump changed his permanent residence to last year, ended lockdown this month and allowed beaches, bars, gyms and almost all other businesses to reopen and operate as normal after months of observing social distancing guidelines.
North Carolina is still in Phase 2 of its reopening plan – and officials in the state have not been able to promise that Trump will have his desired packed arena for the August 24-27 event.
The RNC had spent the last week scouting locations after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper rejected Trump´s demand that the convention be allowed to take place Aug. 24-27 without social distancing measures.
The Jacksonville area, home to a major military base, has a population of about 1.5 million. Mayor Len Curry is a former chairperson of the state Republican Party, and the area is the home base of GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, a key Trump ally.
‘Florida is honored to host this special event where we will celebrate the re-nomination of President Donald J. Trump,’ DeSantis said in a statement Thursday.
‘Florida is honored to host this special event where we will celebrate the re-nomination of President Donald J. Trump,’ Governor DeSantis said in a statement Thursday
‘Jacksonville is a great city that will showcase Florida´s energy, facilities, entrepreneurship and commitment to bring together the delegates of the Republican Party at a historic time in our nation´s history.’
Curry called the announcement ‘a huge win’ for Jacksonville.
‘The opportunity to highlight all our city has to offer and the tremendous economic impact is one I enthusiastically welcome, and we look forward to hosting an exciting event for all delegates and guests to enjoy,’ Curry said in a statement provided by the RNC.
Florida´s prize of 29 electoral votes is considered crucial to Trump´s bid for a second term. That celebration could generate at least $100 million in revenues for the host city, perhaps more.
But Ben Frazier, a black activist with the Northside Coalition of Jacksonville, said the event would be disruptive to the city during a time of racial tension and a pandemic.
‘I only see this exacerbating these problems,’ he said. ‘The mayor´s concerned about the money the city could make. We´re concerned about the lives of people here in Jacksonville more than anything else. We don´t simply need to be concerned about dollars and cents.’