Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper stood his ground against President Donald Trump in a Friday letter addressing Republican plans to host the party convention in the state.
Trump has threatened to move the Republican National Convention to another state if Cooper does not relax his state’s lockdown to allow for full attendance. Cooper’s administration responded in a Friday letter saying the state would not allow the RNC to move forward without distancing measures in place. (RELATED: Twitter Says It Will Not Remove Trump’s Tweets About Scarborough’s Dead Intern)
Today, North Carolina shared a letter responding to the RNC. pic.twitter.com/zqd1JYyKm7
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) May 29, 2020
The letter asked the Republican Party to specify in detail the measures it planned to take to prevent the spread of coronavirus at the event. While the letter did not make any demands, Cooper says a pandemic response cannot be “political.”
The RNC is set to take place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina from August 24 to August 27. 50,000 people are expected to attend, according to WBTV. (RELATED: Trump Says He Would Shut Down Twitter If His Lawyers Can Find A Way To Do It)
North Carolina has already entered the second of three reopening phases, allowing many residents and businesses to return to near-normal. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the White House Coronavirus Task Force has said mass-attendance sporting events could return safely in the third reopening phase, but it is not clear whether NC will reach that phase by August. (RELATED: Twitter Won’t Remove Chinese Official’s Tweet Suggesting US Army Introduced Virus Into Wuhan)
“The state continues to support the hosting of the Republican National Convention in Charlotte if it can be done safely,” the letter concludes. “We remain committed to working with you on an event that adequately protects both attendees and the people of North Carolina.”