AINSLEY: WELL, IT IS NOW
OFFICIAL THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL
CONVENTION HEADED DOWN TO
JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA, THIS
SUMMER.
THE COMMITTEE VOTING UNANIMOUSLY
TO SCALE DOWN THE CONVENTION IN
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA.
AND ACCEPTANCE SPEECH IN
JACKSONVILLE.
RONNA McDANIEL JOINS US LIVE.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
HOW ARE YOU?
>> GOOD MORNING, GREAT TO BE
WITH YOU.
AINSLEY: GREAT TO ALWAYS SEE
YOU.
I’M SURE YOU ARE GLAD THIS IS
NOW OUT OF BAG.
IT’S ALREADY BEEN ANNOUNCED.
WHAT WILL JACKSONVILLE ALLOW YOU
GUYS TO DO THAT CHARLOTTE WON’T?
>> WELL, ONE, THE MAYOR, LENNY
CURRY AND ALSO GOVERNOR DESANTIS
HAVE JUST WORKED WITH US EVERY
STEP OF THE WAY.
AND THEY WANT THIS TO BE A GREAT
EVENT TO SHOW THAT THEIR STATE
IS OPEN.
AMERICA IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN
ARENA.
WE ARE OBVIOUSLY GOING TO PUT
SAFETY CHECKS IN PLACE TO MAKE
SURE THE CONVENTION GOERS ARE
SAFE.
BUT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A
PACKED ARENA.
WE ARE GOING TO RECOGNIZE THE
RENOMINATION OF OUR PRESIDENT AS
WE GO ON TO REAL ELECT HIM IN
NOVEMBER.
AND IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT
CELEBRATION.
AND GOVERNOR COOPER IN NORTH
CAROLINA REFUSED TO WORK WITH
US.
IT BECAME VERY APPARENT THAT HE
WAS NOT GOING TO GIVE US
GUIDELINES SO THAT WE COULD HOLD
OUR CONVENTION AND WE HAD TO
MOVE THE CELEBRATION PART TO
FLORIDA.
BUT WE WILL STILL HAVE THE
BUSINESS OF THE CONVENTION IN
NORTH CAROLINA.
WE LOVE BOTH STATES.
AINSLEY: DID YOU DECIDE TO STAY
IN CHARLOTTE BECAUSE OF
CONTRACTS BECAUSE CHARLOTTE’S
HOST COMMITTEE THEY CALLED THE
MOVE A CLEAR VIOLATION OF
CONTRACTS WITH THE CITY AND
OTHER LOCAL GROUPS.
>> YOU KNOW, I DON’T KNOW HOW WE
COULD BE VIOLATING ANY CONTRACTS
WHEN THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID TIME
AND TIME AGAIN THAT WE NEED TO
SCALE BACK OUR CONVENTION AND
THAT WE COULD ONLY HAVE 10
PEOPLE IN ANY GIVEN ROOM.
WE HAVE WORKED IN GOOD FAITH
WITH THE HOST COMMITTEE AND WITH
THE MAYOR VIA LYLES.
WE WANTED TO BE IN CHARLOTTE.
WE WANT TO BRING AS MUCH REVENUE
TO THAT CITY AS POSSIBLE.
WE HAD TO SCALE IT BACK.
AND WE WANT TO HAVE THE
CELEBRATION PORTION IN FLORIDA
WHERE WE CAN HAVE A FULL SCALE
CONVENTION WITH ALL OF OUR
DELEGATES, ALL OF OUR -- AS YOU
KNOW, AINSLEY, THESE ARE
HARD-WORKING GRASSROOTS PEOPLE
WHO WANT TO ATTEND THIS EVENT.
AINSLEY: I KNOW.
2500 DELEGATES NORMALLY IN
CHARLOTTE IT’S GOING TO BE
REDUCED TO I THINK 336, SIX FROM
EACH STATE AND TERRITORY.
AND THEN ALL 2500 WILL BE ABLE
TO GO TO JACKSONVILLE.
>> CORRECT.
AINSLEY: LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF FLORIDA.
RON DESANTIS SAYS JACKSONVILLE
IS A GREAT CITY.
HE IS THE GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA AS
YOU KNOW.
JACKSONVILLE GREAT CITY SHOWCASE
ENERGY AND -- BRING TOGETHER THE
DELEGATES OF THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY HISTORIC TIME IN OUR
NATION’S HISTORY.
TELL ME ABOUT THE MAKEUP OF
JACKSONVILLE.
I KNOW YOU NORMALLY TRY TO
CHOOSE A SWING STATE.
TRUMP IS TRAILING ACTUALLY IN
FLORIDA ACCORDING TO THE SAINT
PETE POLLS.
TRUMP IS 46.7% AND BIDEN IS
47.5. SO IT’S VERY CLOSE.
BUT WHAT’S THE MAKEUP OF
JACKSONVILLE AND FLORIDA AS A
WHOLE?
IS JACKSONVILLE NOW CONSIDERED A
BLUE AREA?
>> I THINK JACKSONVILLE AND THE
NEIGHBORING COUNTIES ARE TRUMP
COUNTRY.
BUT WE ALSO ARE MILES AWAY FROM
THE GEORGIA BORDER.
SO WE’RE HITTING TWO STATES AND
GOING TO HAVE THIS PRESIDENT’S
PRESENCE IN NORTH CAROLINA.
BUT WE REALLY GET TO HIGHLIGHT
IS THAT COMPANIES ARE OPENING
UP.
THAT AMERICA IS OPENING UP.
AND THESE STATES WHERE
BUSINESSES ARE ALLOWED TO THRIVE
ECONOMICALLY ARE GROWING AND
ADDING JOBS AND HELPING WITH THE
TRANSITION TO GREATNESS AS THE
PRESIDENT IS SHOW CASING TIME
AND TIME AGAIN.
IT’S GOING TO BE THE PERFECT
SETTING.
HIS HOME STATE TO PUSH THAT
GREATNESS -- THE TRANSITION TO
GREATNESS MESSAGE THAT THE
PRESIDENT IS PUSHING OUT.
AINSLEY: RONNA, BRIAN MENTIONED
SOMETHING EARLIER THAT PEOPLE
MIGHT HAVE TO SIGN RELEASES SAY
FIGURE GET COVID BASICALLY I’M
NOT GOING TO SUE.
IS THAT TRUE?
>> WE HAVEN’T EVEN GOTTEN THERE
YET.
I MEAN, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE
HAVE 74 DAYS TO PLAN A WHOLE NEW
CELEBRATION IN A DIFFERENT CITY.
BUT, OF COURSE, WE WANT TO PUT
THE SAFETY OF CONVENTION GOERS
FIRST AND FOREMOST.
WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE
PRESIDENT TEAM, WITH THE SECRET
SERVICE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA
TO MAKE SURE THAT TAKES PLACE.