President Donald Trump’s Twitterstorm hasn’t ended over whether or not the Republican National Convention will be hosted in North Carolina, blaming Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s inability to ensure safety concerns for a large convention space.

The event is scheduled for August 24-27 in Charlotte.

Initially, North Carolina said it could hold a scaled-back convention following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. The Republican National Committee and convention organizers wanted the state to assure it could have a full-scale event.

Cooper told Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Republican National Convention President and CEO Marcia Kelly that their request to have 19,000 people occupy the Spectrum Center and fill hotels, bars and restaurants was improbable.

Trump was all too eager to reply.

…then tell them they will not be able to gain entry. Governor Cooper is still in Shelter-In-Place Mode, and not allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised. Would have showcased beautiful North Carolina to the World, and brought in hundreds of…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2020

 

Cooper then responded on Twitter, saying:

We have been committed to a safe RNC convention in North Carolina and it’s unfortunate they never agreed to scale down and make changes to keep people safe. Protecting public health and safety during this pandemic is a priority.

— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) June 3, 2020

In response, North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley said,

“I am blown away that Gov. Cooper has pulled the plug on the hosting the RNC Convention in Charlotte. His failure to work with the RNC on a plan to safely host this event is a gut punch to thousands of small businesses who have already been suffering under his lockdown.”

The RNC is under contract with Charlotte to host the convention.

Republican officials said Tuesday they could host the convention in Charlotte and find a new location for Trump’s acceptance speech.

“We have yet to receive any official notification from the Republican National Committee regarding its intent for the location of the convention,” the City of Charlotte tweeted Tuesday night in response to Trump’s tweets. “We have a contract in place with the RNC to host the convention and the City Attorney will be in contact with the attorneys for the RNC to understand their full intentions.”

Also on Tuesday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee confirmed RNC officials were expected to visit Nashville as part of RNC’s scouting process for a new location. Politico reported Tuesday that Republicans also are interested in Las Vegas; Orlando, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Georgia.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp reiterated his desire Tuesday night by retweeting Trump’s tweet and adding the message, “Hope you have Georgia on your mind, @realDonaldTrump!”

Hope you have Georgia on your mind, @realDonaldTrump! https://t.co/4scxDSLOMj

— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) June 3, 2020