President Trump Wednesday said that he may deliver his acceptance speech for the republican nomination for president from the White House in the latest twist for the RNC convention that had two locations booked, Politico reports.
“I’ll probably do mine live from the White House,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” this morning. “If for some reason somebody had difficulty with it, I would — I could, you know, go someplace else. The easiest, least expensive and, I think, very beautiful [option] would be live from the White House.”
It is unclear if that’s legal, however, given that it would likely violate the Hatch Act by having government employees assist with political activities. While the President and the Vice President are largely exempt from the Hatch Act restrictions about using government property for political purposes, having White House staff–both political appointees and apolitical staff–prepare for such an event would require them to violate the law.
Should Trump not go to the scaled-down convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, it would signal a sharp turn from Trump’s claims–supported by numerous republican leaders–that the coronavirus is under control and is no longer a danger to Americans.
The RNC was originally scheduled for Charlotte, but Trump desired a crowded arena to deliver his acceptance speech, something public health regulations in North Carolina would not accommodate.
Trump then ordered a parallel celebration in Jacksonville, Florida that would allow for crowds to honor him, but with an ongoing outbreak throughout the state, Trump canceled that event two weeks ago.