GOP officials are reportedly undecided whether this month’s Republican National Convention will be closed to the media.
On Sunday, RNC spokesperson Michael Ahrens told CNN “no final decision has been made” whether reporters will be allowed to cover the convention in person. Ahrens’ comments came one day after a convention spokesperson said the convention would be closed to the press and that some events would be livestreamed.
“No final decision has been made, and we are still working through logistics and press coverage options,” Ahrens said. “We are working with the parameters set before us by state and local guidelines regarding the number of people who can attend events.”
Like the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, the GOP convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been scaled down dramatically.
Credit: AJC
Several weeks ago, North Carolina’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, said the city and state could not support a full convention unless it had significant coronavirus safety measures. President Donald Trump then announced the search was on for another site that would host his renomination, setting off a fury of media speculation and pleas from other governors, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, to bring the convention to their state.
Eventually, Trump and the RNC settled on Jacksonville, Florida. But two weeks ago, Trump announced all of the convention’s Florida events were called off due to a coronavirus spike.
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Trump’s formal renomination will still go forward in North Carolina, where a small subset of GOP delegates will gather in Charlotte for four hours Aug. 24. Florida was to have hosted four nights of programming and parties that Trump had hoped would be a “four-night infomercial” for his reelection. “It’s a different world, and it will be for a little while,” Trump said, explaining his decision. “To have a big convention is not the right time.”
Last week, Trump speculated to reporters he was considering delivering his renomination speech in Washington, which was later disputed by Vice President Mike Pence, who said Trump would indeed speak in North Carolina.
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