ATLANTA — With doubts surrounding if the Republican National Convention can happen in North Carolina, Gov. Brian Kemp has offered Georgia as an alternative site.
“With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention. We hope you will consider the Peach State, @realDonaldTrump,” the governor tweeted Tuesday morning.
Channel 2′s Richard Elliot asked if the governor wanted to elaborate his tweet on camera, but his office wanted to let the tweet speak for itself.
With world-class facilities, restaurants, hotels, and workforce, Georgia would be honored to safely host the Republican National Convention. We hope you will consider the Peach State, @realdonaldtrump!
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) May 26, 2020
Right now, the RNC is scheduled to be held in Charlotte Aug. 24-27. North Carolina is currently in Stage 2 of its reopening phase.
But President Donald Trump tweeted the party “will be reluctantly forced” to find another site if Gov. Roy Cooper didn’t provide immediate answers about allowing full attendance.
...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. Plans are being....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2020
...to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican National Convention site. This is not something I want to do. Thank you, and I LOVE the people of North Carolina!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 25, 2020
Cooper released a statement later Monday in response to the president.
“State health officials are working with the RNC and will review its plan as they make decisions about how to hold the convention in Charlotte. North Carolina is relying on data and science to protect our state’s public health and safety,” he said.
While he initially criticized the decision, Trump and his administration have praised Gov. Kemp and Georgia’s reopening in the past few weeks.
Vice President Mike Pence toured Georgia on Friday and took part in a roundtable with restaurant executives.
“Georgia is going back to work and President Trump and I are absolutely determined to work with every state in the country to safely and responsibly reopen America again,” Pence told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot. “We’re going to see the American people through this, but Richard, we’re getting through this and Georgia is leading the way back to putting America back to work."
Elliot reached out Tuesday to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms about Kemp’s Twitter invitation. He received the following statement from her office:
"Like North Carolina, the City of Atlanta is following a phased, data-driven approach to reopening. That plan does not contemplate hosting a large gathering event in August. In fact, several long-standing city-supported and sponsored events have already been canceled in order to comply with CDC guidelines.”
The governor’s office pointed out that Kemp did specifically say the city of Atlanta, just somewhere in Georgia. There are other large arenas and convention centers in places like Gwinnett County and Savannah.
State senator Nikema Williams represents parts of Atlanta and also serves as the Chair of the Georgia Democratic Party.
William said she stands with Mayor Bottoms.
“I couldn’t agree more with my mayor who is following data not dates, and we are certainly not going to put people’s lives at risk to bend over backwards to accommodate Donald Trump and his Republican party,” she said.
Channel 2′s sister station WSOC-TV in Charlotte contributed to this report.
© 2020 Cox Media Group
