WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump, citing safety concerns during the coronavirus pandemic, abruptly canceled the "big, crowded" portion of the Republican National Convention that had been scheduled for Jacksonville, Florida, in late August, reversing his own insistence on a high-profile speech to a full arena.
Instead, the party will hold official business in North Carolina with a skeletal group of attendees and move other festivities, including Trump's nominating speech, online, much as Democrats have planned.
"I have to protect the American people," Trump said. Florida has become one of the country's worst hotspots for the virus.
The convention has been plagued by controversy since it was initially awarded to Charlotte, North Carolina, a Democratic city where Trump faced stiff opposition. In June, Trump moved all but the core business functions to Florida, citing frustration with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, who would not promise to lift social distancing requirements.
