WASHINGTON —President of the United States Donald Trump on Thursday canceled the Republican party convention in Jacksonville, Florida, due to raging coronavirus pandemic in the country with confirmed infections surpassing four million.
The sheriff in Jacksonville, the most populous city of the state where the convention was scheduled, had warned early this week the city was not ready for next month's political gathering.
However, a few hundred Republican delegates will still gather in Charlotte, North Carolina, despite concerns raised by Democratic governor of North Carolina.
Trump said on Thursday he informed his team that his focus was on protecting the American people, even though aides advised him they could make the convention safe.
"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."
"There's nothing more important in our country than keeping our people safe," Trump said.
Trump switched the location to Florida after the governor North Carolina insisted in May on limiting the crowd size at the planned Republican convention, citing social distancing.
Trump's announcement to cancel the convention at Jacksonville, Florida, came hours after a new poll showed Biden leading Trump 51 percent to 38 percent in Florida.
The poll conducted by Quinnipiac also found that 62 percent of those surveyed believed it would be unsafe to hold the event in Jacksonville, to 34 percent who thought it would be safe. — Agencies
