Charlotte, NC — On Thursday, President Trump said that the events that were scheduled to move from Charlotte to Jacksonville for the Republican National Convention were being canceled. Trump remarked that he was assured the event could be done safely and effectively, but that he decided to cancel out of caution. The business portions of the event will continue as planned in Charlotte.
Trump said that due to the recent flare-up of coronavirus cases in Florida, the timing was not appropriate for an event. He continued saying that he must protect the American people.
The recent comments by Trump come as he appears to have shifted in his views of the coronavirus pandemic. In a recent press conference, he suggested that the coronavirus pandemic will probably get worse. He also encouraged Americans to wear masks. Most mainstream media outlets quickly jumped on this since it’s a new move for the President.
Why the shift in coronavirus, and why now? It’s a valid question, and there are several possibilities. First, President Trump recently shook up his campaign staff. New campaign manager Bill Stepien is a numbers guy and a strong analyst. He knows where the President stands in the reelection campaign and knew something had to be done.
I think the most likely scenario is that the campaign realized there was no political gain to happen from holding a convention. The President usually thrives in events with his crowds of people. The media would have never let him have a win with the convention no matter the way it was held.
If he cancels the convention, the media will criticize him for canceling after pushing to relocate. The Charlotte Observer quickly did so, as one would expect from this liberal news outlet. Others will also jump into the mix for the move. The repercussions were much better than if he had held the event.
Think back to the things that happened as soon as Trump held an event in Oklahoma. The day after the event, the media started blaming Trump for a spike in coronavirus cases. They accused him of risking American lives and ran with the story for weeks. No matter how you face it, there were no political points to gain from holding a convention.
The Charlotte Observer article shares that the city hopes to hold a more formal version of the RNC, but without the crowds. North Carolina is still in the phased opening, with limitations to gatherings of individuals indoors. It’s doubtful that the RNC would seek to hold such an event at this point.
The shift in the President’s statements and actions are interesting, given the hardline stance he has taken on the coronavirus pandemic. I’m certainly not saying this because I am critical of his response. I believe he has done as well with the response as one could have given the situation.
I truly believe President Trump thought that the US would find a magic bullet for the coronavirus. He thought that a medication, no matter which one it may be, would come out and be the miracle cure. To date, that has not happened.
There’s nothing wrong with being optimistic and hoping for the best. I admire than in our President. He is not willing to take the doom and gloom route that the left would like to push. This move to cancel the RNC is the right move, no matter how painful the decision was.
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