U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the Republican party was "forced" to choose another location for its presidential nominating convention, as North Carolina rejected its demand for a full-fledged gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump said on Twitter that because of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper's refusal to accommodate a fully-attended 2020 Republican National Convention in the Spectrum Arena in Charlotte, "we are now forced to seek another State."
"The people of North Carolina do not know what the status of COVID-19 will be in August, so planning for a scaled-down convention with fewer people, social distancing and face coverings is a necessity," Cooper said in a letter to the Republican National Committee on Tuesday.
"We are happy to continue talking with you about what a scaled down convention would look like and we still await your proposed plan for that," Cooper wrote.
The Republican National Committee sent Cooper a letter on Saturday, demanding a 19,000-person convention in his state. Trump reportedly told Cooper in a phone call on Friday that he wanted the convention to be held without requirements for masks and social distancing.
Following Trump's tweet on Tuesday, Cooper tweeted that "it's unfortunate" that the Republican party "never agreed to scale down and make changes to keep people safe. Protecting public health and safety during this pandemic is a priority."
The convention, at which Trump is expected to be confirmed as Republican presidential nominee seeking re-election later this year, has been postponed until August 24-27 due to the spread of the coronavirus.
