'I Care Deeply About The People of Florida': President Trump Calls Off Republican National Convention In Jacksonville
WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) — President Donald Trump has called off the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville citing 'flare-up' of coronavirus, but said the North Carolina events are still on.
Trump, speaking Thursday at a late afternoon news conference, said he will do an acceptance speech in a different form.
He didn't mention any other details about his speech.
"I looked at my team and I said the timing for this event is not right. It's just not right," Trump said at the White House. "To have a big convention it's not the right time."
He added, "I care deeply about the people of Florida and thanked the City of Jacksonville."
"I want to thank the Jacksonville community and all of the other political representatives," Trump said. "They were there for us 100%."
His announcement came on the same day Florida reached a new milestone with 173 newly reported coronavirus deaths and pushed the total number of cases in the state past 389,000.
The state health department reported Thursday that there were 10,249 new coronavirus cases. More than 3.2 million people have been tested for coronavirus in Florida. The two-week average for positive tests in Florida stood at nearly 18% on Thursday.
The Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo released a statement shortly after Trump's announcement that read, "I'm glad Donald Trump took his head out of the sand long enough to realize what a predictable, preventable disaster he was about to inflict on the city of Jacksonville. His ego-driven political stunt has wasted precious time and resources during a pandemic, and Floridians will remember his reckless leadership in November."
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
