Trump tweets that the RNC was 'forced to seek another state' for convention as North Carolina says it will stick to COVID-19 measures

• President Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that the Republican National Convention will no longer be hosted in North Carolina after Gov. Roy Cooper refused to host a full-scale event citing coronavirus concerns.
• "Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised," Trump tweeted Tuesday night.
• Cooper responded to Trump's tweets, saying that it was "unfortunate" that they couldn't reach an agreement on a scaled-down version of the RNC at the Spectrum Center.
• The venue has a capacity of 20,000 people, and the RNC event page says nearly 50,000 people are expected to attend.
• However, North Carolina is currently in Phase 2 of reopening, which only allows indoor gathers of 10 people or less.

President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday night that the Republican National Convention will be hosted at a new venue after North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declined to host unless proper COVID-19 precautions were met.

Trump has insisted on hosting the convention at the Spectrum Center at full capacity, a condition that Cooper has refused to comply with amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised," Trump tweeted Tuesday night. "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," he continued.

Cooper said earlier Tuesday that he couldn't guarantee to host what Trump envisioned for the RNC, which takes place in late November, but offered to host a scaled-down version at the Spectrum Center.

In response to Trump's tweets Tuesday, Cooper wrote that it was "unfortunate" that the requested safety guidelines suggested by him and his representatives were not agreed upon by the RNC.

"We have been committed to a safe RNC convention in North Carolina and it's unfortunate they never agreed to scale down and make changes to keep people safe," Cooper tweeted. "Protecting public health and safety during this pandemic is a priority."

The Spectrum Center has a capacity of 20,000 people, and the event page, which has yet to be updated, states that nearly 50,000 attendees are expected over the course of the convention. North Carolina has taken a cautious approach to reopening and is currently in Phase 2, which allows indoor gatherings of 10 people.

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