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Although Pres. Donald Trump tweeted that he will move the Republican National Convention out of Charlotte, the reality is more complicated. 

Trump has created a conflict with Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, because Cooper <a href="https://www.wral.com/cooper-very-unlikely-republicans-can-hold-convention-as-planned-in-charlotte/19126328/">won't guarantee that the RNC could fill the Spectrum Center</a> to capacity. Cooper has said he can't commit because he doesn't know where the state will be in terms of coronavirus.

<a href="https://www.wral.com/coronavirus/trump-cooper-spar-over-gop-convention-crowd-size/19115057/">President Trump has said he wants a full-capacity crowd for 2020</a>, like his nominating convention in 2016. Organizers say they believe they can do that safely without social distancing or requiring masks.

President Trump took to Twitter Tuesday to announce the Republican National Convention would be moved from Charlotte due to the response from Gov. Roy Cooper on whether a full convention could be held in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

POIGNANT MOMENT CAPTURED LIVE ON OUR NEWS TONIGHT. WE WILL HAVE MUCH MORE ON THE PROTESTS IN JUST A MINUTE. BUT AT FIRST WE ARE FIRST WE ARE FOLLOWING YEARS. THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION WILL BE MOVED OUT OF NORTH CAROLINA.  AARON JOINS US WITH MORE ON THIS. >> THE PRESIDENT'S TWEET IS BLOWING UP SOME OF THE BIGGEST NEWS OF THE NIGHT.  PUT THE BLAME ON THE GOVERNOR, SAYING HE PULLED THE PLUG ON THE STATE POSTING THE CONTENTION. >> JUST AFTER 9:00 P.M., THE PRESIDENT TOOK TO TWITTER, TWEETING DIRECTLY AT GOVERNOR COOPER, SAYING WE ARE NOW FORCED TO TAKE ANOTHER STATE PICK ANOTHER STATE TO POST THE 2020 NATIONAL CONVENTION. THEY WANTED A FULL-SCALE CONVENTION, WITH MORE THAN 19,000 ATTENDEES. THEY SENT THIS LETTER, SAYING PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE STATUS OF COVID-19 WILL BE IN AUGUST. THEY ARE PLANNING FOR A SCALED- DOWN CONVENTION WITH FACE COVERINGS AS A NECESSITY MICHAEL LOOKED FORWARD TO THE CONVENTION IN CHARLOTTE. I'M FRANKLY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE GOT TO THIS POINT IN THE CONVERSATION. >> GOVERNOR COOPER SAYS OFFICIALS NEVER CAME UP WITH A SAFETY PAT PLAN >> CONTINUE TO SAY WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT A SCALED-DOWN CONVENTION, BUT CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU THAT AT THE END OF AUGUST YOU CAN HAVE A FULL ARENA. >> FROM THE PAST HOUR, ABNER COOPER RESPONDED TO THE PRESIDENT'S DECISION, TWEETING WE'VE BEEN COMMITTED TO A SAFE CONVENTION IN NORTH CAROLINA AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THEY NEVER AGREED TO SCALE DOWN AND MAKE CHANGES TO KEEP SAFE, PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY DURING THE PANDEMIC IS A PRIORITY. ORGANIZERS WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TALKED ABOUT MISSING ON THE BOOST.

Aaron Thomas

Edward Wilson

Jason O. Boyd

President Trump says RNC will be moved from Charlotte

Republican leaders say Cooper's hesitation could cost the state $130 million.

A convention official told WRAL News Wednesday that some parts of the convention could still happen in Charlotte. The primetime elements of the convention could move elsewhere. If so, the convention would be split.

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who is challenging Cooper for the governor's office in November criticized his opponent, saying, "When other states' 'science and 'data' shows that it is safe to host a convention in August, it is clear the Cooper administration is playing politics."

Rick Gorka, senior adviser to the Republican National Committee, says the GOP just wants to know what the guidelines are so the party can ensure a safe convention can be held in Charlotte.

RECOMMENDING ADDED SOCIAL DISTANCE. 10 FEET OR MORE INSTEAD OF 6. CULLEN BROWDER, WRAL NEWS, RALEIGH. >>> RIGHT NOW, THE RNC WANTS TO GO AHEAD WITH THE CONVENTION IN CHARLOTTE. IT IS PLANNED FOR AUGUST. I AM JOINED BY RICK ORCUTT, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TALK WITH US. >> THANK YOU, SIR. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? >> I'M GOOD, BUT THERE IS THIS BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, ROY COOPER'S OFFICE, AND THE RNC. IT'S ALMOST LIKE WHO'S GOING TO BLINK FIRST ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? IS THERE A TIME TO JUST SAY GOVERNOR, HERE IS SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE WILL DO. LET'S GET ON WITH THIS. >> I THINK THAT'S THE GOVERNOR'S JOB. THE GOVERNOR IS IN CHARGE OF SETTING THE GUIDELINES AND THE RULES IN ORDER TO OPEN UP THE CITY AND THE STATE SAFELY. THERE HAS BEEN CONFUSION THROUGHOUT NORTH CAROLINA, THROUGH THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE HAVING THIS COMMUNICATION WOULD LOCAL COUNTIES, AND ALTHOUGH WE'RE TRYING TO DO OUR UNDERSTAND WHAT THE GUIDELINES ARE. WE CONTRACTED WITH THE CITY OF CHARLOTTE TO HOST THE FULL CONVENTION, WHICH MEANS 19,000 PEOPLE IN THE SPECTRUM CENTER, FULL HOTELS, FULL RESTAURANTS, SO IF THAT IS NOT GOING TO BE THE CASE , WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO ENSURE OUR CONVENTION. >> LET ME INTERRUPT THE MOMENT BECAUSE THERE IS A LETTER TODAY FROM ANDY KOEN, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY. THE CHAIR OF THE REPLICANT NAME NATIONAL COMMITTEE AND MARSHALL LEE KELLY WHO WE HAD ON THIS PROGRAM A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. A LOT OF THINGS ARE ASKED THERE, LIKE HOW MANY DELICATES, GUEST, AND MEDIA TO EXPECT IN ATTENDANCE, AND WHILE YOU PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING? THAT'S ONE OF MANY QUESTIONS, WHERE THEY ARE SPECIFIC IN WHAT THEY ARE ASKING YOUR ORGANIZATION TO GIVE THEM. WHY NOT JUST GIVE THAT TO THEM? >> WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE UPWARDS OF 50,000 INDIVIDUALS THAT COULD COME TO CHARLOTTE IN A FULL CONVENTION, BUT IF THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA AND GOVERNOR COOPER ARE LIMITING GATHERINGS TO 25, 50, OR 100 OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER HAPPENS TO BE, THEN WE NEED TO KNOW THAT TO MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS. WE'RE NOT THE ONE DICTATING THE TERMS FOR HOW NORTH CAROLINA IS GOING TO BE OPEN, HEALTHY, AND SECURE, BUT WE ARE THERE AS PARTNERS AND GUESTS, HOPING TO THE BEST CONVENTION WE CAN TO BRING ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF THE CONVENTION THAT WE ARE THERE TO DO BUT ALSO BRING ABOUT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT WILL HELP SOMEBODY RESIDENTS COMING OUT OF THE CORONAVIRUS. >> WITH ALL OF THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TODAY, IT SEEMS LIKE, AND I CANNOT SPEAK AND WILL PRETEND TO SPEAK FOR THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE, THAT UNTIL THEY GET A RESPONSE FROM THE RNC WITH SPECIFICITY, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET GUIDELINES. WHAT AM I MISSING IN THE EQUATION? >> I THINK YOU ARE MISSING THAT THE GOVERNOR IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE GOVERNOR. HE'S THE LEADER OF THE STATE. OTHER GOVERNORS IN OTHER STATES ARE SETTING VERY CLEAR GUIDELINES FOR HOW THEIR STATES ARE REOPENING AND HOW THEY ADDRESS THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND THEIR RESIDENTS. GOVERNOR COOPER IS PLAYING POLITICS, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST TRICK IN THE BOOK, THAT IF YOU MAKE OTHERS SET THE RULES, THEN YOU CAN'T BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT HAPPENS. ULTIMATELY, THE GOVERNORS ELECTED TO LEAD THE STATE, SET THE GUIDELINES, AND LET'S GO. WE ALSO NEED TO KNOW LIKE WHAT CRITERIA IS THE GOVERNOR GOING TO USE? WHEN IS THE DEADLINE? WHEN CAN HE CHANGE HIS MIND ON AN IDEA OR IS AN AREA THAT WE PUT FORWARD? ULTIMATELY, THE GOVERNOR IS IN CHARGE OF THE STATE. OF THE GOVERNOR DOES NOT WANT MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE IN A ROOM, THEN WE CAN'T HAVE MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE IN A ROOM. IT IS AS SIMPLE AS THAT. >> MR. GORKA, AT THIS POINT DOES THE RNC REALISTICALLY BELIEVE  TO BE ABLE TO HOLD A CONVENTION IN CHARLOTTE IN AUGUST? >> WE'RE COMING IN CHARLOTTE IN AUGUST, WE ARE HAVING THE BUSINESSES IN CONVENTION IN THE QUEEN CITY. WE ARE EXCITED TO BE THERE. WE HAD MANY, MANY MONTHS OF PLANNING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN. WE INVESTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO MAKE IT OCCUR. WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS UP TO

David Crabtree

Matthew Burns

'We're not the ones dictating the terms,' GOP official says of dispute over Charlotte convention

Rick Gorka, RNC adviser

House Speaker Tim Moore concurred. "I think it’s a real travesty, that the governor lets politics, his political beliefs, get in the way, and ruins this opportunity for the state," he said.

Dr. David Wohl, a coronavirus expert at UNC Medicine, said there is no way a traditional convention crowd can be safe without social distancing or requiring masks, and he's sorry to see the choice become politicized.

Republican National Convention organizers said on June 2 that they're pulling the event out of Charlotte. President Trump demanded a "full" convention. How does that request compare to what the DNC and sports leagues are doing?

OUT AND ANNOUNCING NEXT WEEK HE IS MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO TEST LAW ENFORCEMENT AND DEMONSTRATORS FOR COVID-19. IN MIAMI, NBC NEWS. >>> AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS SEEKING OTHER STATES TO HOST ITS CONVENTION, AT LEAST PARTS OF IT, HOPING TO BRING 19,000 PEOPLE TO CHARLOTTE SPECTRA MARINA IN LATE AUGUST, BUT PRESIDENT TRUMP WANTED GOVERNOR COOPER TO GUARANTEE A FULL CONVENTION, SOMETHING THE GOVERNOR SAID HE COULD NOT DO. SO WHAT YOU HEALTH EXPERTS RECOMMEND, AND, ARE THERE OTHER BIG EVENTS PLANNED FOR LATE AUGUST? TRAVIS IS HERE NOW TO ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS. >> Reporter: DOES THE CDC RECOMMEND REDUCING CROWD SIZE? YES. HEALTH EXPERTS HAVE REPEATEDLY SAID HOLDING LARGE PUBLIC GATHERINGS INDOORS, FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, POSES A HIGH RISK FOR SPREADING THE VIRUS. WE CANNOT PREDICT WHAT AUGUST WILL LOOK LIKE, BUT IF THE RNC WERE SCHEDULED FOR THIS WEEK THE CDC WOULD RECOMMEND THAT ORGANIZERS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ATTENDEES. NEXT QUESTION, AS THE DNC BEEN GUARANTEED A FULL CONVENTION? NO. THE DEMOCRATS WERE ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO HOLD THEIR CONVENTION IN JULY, IN MILWAUKEE, BUT THEY POSTPONED TO AUGUST OUT OF CONCERNS FOR THE VIRUS. ORGANIZERS RECENTLY VOTED TO CHANGE THEIR RULES, AND ALLOW DELEGATES TO VOTE REMOTELY. THEY SAY THEY ARE STILL MONITORING THE SITUATION. HAVE SPORTS LEAGUES BEEN GUARANTEED FULL STADIUMS? AGAIN, NO, MAJOR-LEAGUE BASEBALL, THE NATIONAL HOCKEY ASSOCIATION EXCUSE ME, NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE AND THE NBA HAVE EXPANDED THEIR SEASONS SUSPENDED THEIR SEASONS AND NONE OF THEM HAVE APPROVED AS OFFICIAL RESTART DATE FOR THE NFL DOES NOT START UNTIL SEPTEMBER AND THE LEAGUE HAS NOT YET ANNOUNCED OFFICIAL CHANGES FOR THE REGULAR SEASON. BUT, THE CAROLINA PANTHERS OWNER RECENTLY SAID HE DOUBTS FULL STADIUMS WILL BE ALLOWED. NO LEAGUE HAS GUARANTEED FULL ACCESS FOR FANS. SO FAR, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE MANY MASS GATHERINGS PLAN FOR AUGUST.

Paul Specht

Are other groups holding events as big as the RNC?

"While we may wish we can do those things and be close to one another, the reality is it's dangerous," Wohl said.

Another UNC expert, Dr. William Fischer, agreed.

"I think mass gatherings without hand hygiene, without masking – it’s a dangerous opportunity for the virus to spread," he said.

Laura Leslie

Richard Adkins

Jodi Leese Glusco

Politics, science at odds in argument over whether and how to hold Republican convention in Charlotte

Republican convention could be split between Charlotte, another city

Republican Party,Roy Cooper,Trump,coronavirus,political convention

Tillman Mitchell, 17, was hit by a car in Halifax County while getting off the bus from school.

Student hit by car getting off the bus in Halifax County back at home

Tillman Mitchell 

There's a hot debate about the potential impacts of offshore wind development in the state. Many coastal residents came to an open house in Brunswick County Tuesday to voice their concerns after presentations from industry experts, academics, and government officials about the potential benefits and challenges of offshore wind.

How will offshore wind development impact North Carolina's coast?

Offshore WInd Turbines

Eric Williams and Latavia Washington McGee were in Mexico to help McGee get a medical procedure done. They were violently kidnapped by cartels in the area, which killed two others that traveled with them.

Survivor of kidnapping in Mexico returns to North Carolina

Mexico_Kidnapped_Americans_24396

A new 911 call was released Tuesday as Cary police investigate two crime scenes at a Cary home where a body was found in a pile of burning debris.

Police identify burned body, man shot at Cary home

Identity of the body burned, man shot at Cary home

Administrators at a charter school in Columbus County are demanding a first-grade boy's hair be cut before students return from spring break.

Family sees discrimination in school's demand that boy cut his long hair

Get the latest WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast whenever you need it, including the DUALDoppler5000 and the 7-Day Forecast.

WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast

Nightly N.C. Education Lottery drawings during the 11 p.m. News.

Evening Pick 3 Pick 4 and Cash 5

Tuesday and Friday Mega Millions Drawing.

Mega Millions Drawing

Sky 5 flies over a crash on I-440 near New Bern Avenue on Tuesday afternoon. Multiple lanes are closed.

Sky 5 over I-440 crash

The House Commerce Committee considers bills that would legalize online betting on sports and would ban 'predatory' charges and repossession of pets paid for over time.

Lawmakers consider mobile sports betting, predatory pet leases

Videos

"You can't wrap your kid up in a bubble, and kids need to learn to play. But there are ways to maximize safety," says Daniel Park, MD, a UNC Health pediatric emergency medicine doctor and father of three.

10 actions that can keep your child out of the emergency room 

Doctor and child emergency room

A Knightdale man who taught at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School was charged Tuesday with sexual misconduct with a student.



Raleigh teacher, coach arrested for attempted sex act with student

Almando Kilpatrick Brown

More than 360 people gathered at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill for the 2023 Behavioral Health Convening on Tuesday. The crowd included people from all over the state representing schools throughout the university system.



UNC system aims to use new funds to improve mental health resources for students

UNC system leaders talk about mental health challenges, possible solutions

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper already signed an executive order banning TikTok on state government devices. This bill goes further, targeting more apps and also banning them on government networks like university WiFi.

TikTok ban clears NC Senate, would also block WeChat, Telegram

China_US_TikTok_Ban_90129

House Bill 98, which would prevent COVID-19 vaccine requirements, was one of several bills up for discussion Tuesday at the General Assembly.

