“For months, President Trump insisted on packed crowds at his nominating convention” reports the Washington Post.
“‘Since the day I came down the escalator, I’ve never had an empty seat and I find the biggest stadiums,’ he told North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) in a phone call on May 29, according to two people familiar with the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share its contents. ‘We can’t do social distancing.'”
“But behind the scenes, advisers were scrambling to plan a massive multi-day event amid a pandemic. They asked the federal government to provide protective equipment, lined up labs to test thousands of attendees each day, and shifted from an indoor arena in Charlotte to one in Jacksonville, Fla., and then again to a covered practice field used by an NFL franchise nearby.”