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As it stands now, the Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina from from August 24th through the 27th. But President Trump issued a warning to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper this morning that he either needs to provide assurances the convention can operate at full capacity, or the convention will be moved elsewhere.

Here’s what Trump wrote in a Twitter thread to Cooper:

…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

As it stands right now, North Carolina is in “Phase 2” of the so-called reopening plan. Phase 3 would not start until late June at the earliest, depending on whatever metrics the Governor and other state officials decide to go by at the time to determine if it can start (as I’ve noted before, the standards they use to determine whether or not to proceed on to the next phase of reopening tend to change without notice or warning):

NC moved into Phase 2 of lifting #COVID19 restrictions at 5 p.m. Friday, May 22. Phase 2 runs through at least Friday, June 26, unless changed or canceled. For a quick reference guide about the differences in Phases 1 and 2 go to: https://t.co/1REXPNY3qX #StayStrongNC pic.twitter.com/GQgyp06aUZ

— NCDHHS (@ncdhhs) May 23, 2020

Phase 3 could begin as early as June 26th, but it’s highly unlikely that could allow for crowds of more than 1,000, let alone 20,000. Honestly I’m curious if there’s any state open to welcome thousands of out-of-state travelers and pack them into large space. @ABC11_WTVD #ncpol https://t.co/yggKT3vruy

— Jonah Kaplan (@KaplanABC11) May 25, 2020

North Carolina GOP party chair Michael Whatley responded to Trump’s tweets by encouraging Trump to stick with the original plan:

The @NCGOP is excited to rollout the red carpet and welcome @realDonaldTrump and the @GOP to Charlotte. We can have a safe Convention in NC and nominate President Trump for #FourMoreYears #NCGOP https://t.co/wUCfGJUQL1

— Michael Whatley (@WhatleyNCGOP) May 25, 2020

A lot of prep and background work has already been done in advance of the RNC, as reported by WSOC-TV’s Joe Bruno:

The GOP Convention CEO has been living in Charlotte. RNC leaders have an office in the NASCAR Tower. Millions have been spent. Walk thrus have happened, credentials have been applied for and I’m even told the president has signed off the stage setup for his acceptance speech.

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 25, 2020

So that leads us to today- the city is actively preparing to host #RNC2020. Phase 2 would permit it in a limited capacity. We could be in Phase 3 in June. It would likely be extremely challenging to find another location that can accommodate this event. It’s 90 days away

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 25, 2020

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, took a considerable amount of heat from her party over Charlotte’s decision to pursue hosting the convention in the first place, and some Democrats on the city council wanted Charlotte to back out of the city’s commitment to host the convention altogether after the “send her back” chants at a Trump rally in Greenville, NC last year. The city council ultimately voted to condemn the remarks after the city attorney said backing out of the convention would be a very costly legal endeavor.

Gov. Cooper’s spokesperson issued a statement this morning in response to Trump’s Twitter thread:

Statement from Gov. Cooper’s spokesperson on today’s comments about the Republican National Convention: pic.twitter.com/xDuNWstqjQ

— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) May 25, 2020

While Cooper was one of the few Democrats encouraging the RNC to bring their convention to Charlotte in the first place, he is exactly the kind of Democratic governor who would do something like force the RNC to move the convention at the last minute, and it would have nothing to do with virus concerns.

Stay tuned.