Trump's threat to pull GOP convention came as surprise to Republicans working on event

Then President Donald Trump threatened to pull the convention from Charlotte.

Trump's tweet not only came as a surprise to Republican officials on Monday, but it also was completely at odds with the position that top convention officials expressed during the Friday meeting, CNN has learned.

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Marcia Kelly, the president and CEO of the convention, spoke with Cooper and the state's secretary of health and human services, Dr. Mandy Cohen, in a telephone meeting Friday. A person familiar with the call said that Kelly outlined a range of options for the Republican convention in August -- "from a full in-person convention to a virtual or online convention."

Kelly, who was selected by Trump for the position, did not mention a timeline for a decision to be made about the convention, the person familiar with the call said, who described the conversation as cordial and productive.

All major organizations, from the Charlotte Hornets to the Carolina Panthers to NASCAR, have been asked to submit plans to the state for holding their large-scale events. The Republican convention has not yet submitted its own plan for how the gathering, set for August 24-27, would be held safely.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also spoke with Cooper last week, a person familiar with the call said, and a range of options about the convention was discussed. Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman, did not demand an urgent decision be made about the convention, the source said. Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Republican National Committee said in a statement on Monday that it supported the President's demand for the governor to provide assurances that "a full in-person convention" could be held -- even as convention officials have said Trump's threat during a series of tweets on Memorial Day caught them off guard.

A spokeswoman for the Republican convention did not immediately respond to questions about the Friday meeting or the safety plan yet to be submitted for the convention.

The coronavirus has upended American life, including the ongoing presidential election, which has been devoid of in-person events since early March. Both Democrats and Republicans have grappled with how to hold a traditional nominating convention during a pandemic, especially given the virus is transmitted by close human-to-human contact.

The two parties, as evidenced by Trump's recent tweets, are handling the issue differently, however. Democrats moved their planned event in Milwaukee from July to August and are moving ahead cautiously with planning, openly acknowledging that this year's event may need to be virtual. Republicans, by comparison, have plowed full speed ahead with plan for an in-person event.

"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," Trump said in a series of tweets on Monday. "Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena."

He added: "They must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied. If not, we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site."

Cooper is scheduled to speak to reporters at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. An adviser said he is not expected to make any major announcement but will reiterate what he told CNN last week: Data and science would drive the decision about the convention, not politics.

"The good thing is that this is three months away and it's too early to tell where North Carolina will be," Cooper said at the time. "But we are looking at these objective measures that everybody can see, that the public can examine."

To some top Republicans, Trump's decision to publicly call out Cooper was a strategic attempt to make the Democratic governor -- who is up for reelection in 2020 -- the scapegoat for any changes that need to be made to the convention.

Trump was attempting to force Cooper "to be the bad guy," a Republican operative familiar with the convention process told CNN.

Another source familiar with Trump's thinking told CNN that the President's goal with his tweet was to try to force Cooper to define what the rules of the road will be for the convention and underscored that Trump does not want to pull out of North Carolina.

The uncertainty around the North Carolina convention has led other states to attempt to woo Trump and the Republican committee away from North Carolina.

"With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, tweeted on Tuesday. "We hope you will consider the Peach State, @realdonaldtrump!"

Republican officials from Texas and Florida also made public offers to Trump, hoping he will grow fed up with North Carolina and consider the two Republican-controlled states.

"The Republican Party of Florida would welcome the opportunity to host the Republican National Convention," Florida Republican Party Chairman Joe Gruters said. "Florida is committed to ensuring a safe, secure and successful event for President Trump and all attendees."