President Donald Trump said on Friday that he likely will accept the Republican presidential nomination on the White House lawn despite concerns from ethics advisers. He had earlier floated the idea of holding the speech at Gettysburg, the iconic civil war battlefield, which met with widespread derision given the president’s weak record on civil rights.
Either site would be controversial for delivering a speech in a boldly partisan event at a historically iconic public property, which would be unprecedented in American history.
“We have narrowed the Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, to be delivered on the final night of the Convention (Thursday), to two locations – The Great Battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the White House, Washington, D.C. We will announce the decision soon!” Trump tweeted.
Following his announcement, Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-South Dakota) said he doubted its feasibility due to the legal issues.
“I assume that’s not something that you could do… I think anything you do on federal property would seem to be problematic,” he said during the interview with CNN.
The Republican National Convention was supposed to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Trump fought with the local governors over coronavirus restrictions, so he moved the event to Jacksonville, Florida. After coronavirus cases soared across Florida, and RNC was once again forced to find another venue for its convention scheduled at the end of the month.
