Governor Brian Kemp offered Georgia as an alternative to North Carolina to host the Republican National Convention after President Trump suggested that it could be moved from Charlotte.
What We Know:
- The President implied he wanted to be able to fully fill an arena for the Republican National Convention but the Democratic governor, Ray Cooper, will not allow it.
- The 2020 RNC is officially set to run from August 24-27. Trump tweeted North Carolina is still shutdown because of the coronavirus and cannot guarantee that they will be back up and running by August. “In other words, we would be spending millions of dollars building the arena to a very high standard without even knowing if the Democrat Governor would allow the Republican Party to fully occupy the space” advised Trump.
I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2020
- On Tuesday, Governor Brian Kemp implied such accommodations could be made in Georgia.
With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention. We hope you will consider the Peach State, @realdonaldtrump!
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) May 26, 2020
- Even though Governor Kemp didn’t specify where in Georgia he would host the convention, Atlanta would have the most capacity for such an event with venues like the State Farm Arena that can hold 21,000 people and the Mercedes-Benz Stadium that can hold up to 71,000 people.
- The mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, stated even though the city is following a phased, data driven approach to reopening, the plan does not inclued hosting a larg gathering event in August. Multiple events in the Atlanta that are held every year have already been canceled to comply with CDC guidelines for COVID-19.
- The Georgia Republican Party endorced Gov. Kemp’s idea. “Under Governor Kemp, Georiga has lead the nation in safely reopening it’s economy,” Georgia GOP chairman stated. “We have first class facillities, a skilled workforce and a reputation for hospitality second to none. We would be proud to host the Republican National Convention.”
Even though Governor Kemp was bashed by President Trump a couple of weeks ago for reopening businesses amid the pandemic, the Vice President praised him for “leading the way” and making Georiga an “example to the nation”.
