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President Trump on Monday threatened to yank the Republican National Convention from Charlotte, N.C., where it is scheduled to be held in August, accusing the state’s Democratic governor of being in a “shutdown mood” that could prevent a fully attended event. The president tweeted that he had “LOVE” for North Carolina, a swing state that he won in 2016, but he added that without a “guarantee” from the governor, Roy Cooper, that the event could be held at full capacity, “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.” (Haberman, 5/25)

"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 tweeted. "Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena. 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." (Thomas, 5/25)

The threat singling out a Democratic governor who has followed federal guidelines echoed Trump’s pressure on other Democratic-led states to reopen as the coronavirus pandemic pushes the economy to the worst crisis since the Great Depression, with approximately 38 million Americans filing for unemployment and scores of businesses shuttering. Trump, who sees a revived economy as critical to his reelection, also has encouraged protests against Democratic governors who have imposed stay-at-home orders consistent with federal health officials’ recommendations. (Kim and Sullivan, 5/25)

The Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place in late August at an arena in Charlotte that can hold as many as 20,000 people. Republicans “must be immediately given an answer by the Governor as to whether or not the space will be allowed to be fully occupied,” Mr. Trump wrote in a series of tweets. “If not, we will be reluctantly forced…to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site.” (Restuccia, 5/25)

Trump’s remarks amounted to a shift in the party’s posture. Republicans have said they are intent on forging ahead with the convention and have been raising millions of dollars needed to stage the event. The party has set a goal of raising $65 million. The president has remained in touch with top party officials, including Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, and has privately said he is determined to hold a convention. (Isenstadt and Cohen, 5/25)

The convention is currently scheduled for Aug. 24-27, in Charlotte, North Carolina, a state which recently reported its highest number of new cases in a single day. North Carolina entered the second phase of its reopening Friday, but gatherings of groups over 10 people indoors, and 25 people outdoors, are still prohibited. (Timm and Alba, 5/25)