Delegates ready to renominate Trump at Charlotte convention

Republicans are rey to formally minate President Donald Trump for reelection at a scaled-down convention kickoff in Charlotte that begins a weeklong effort to convince American people that president deserves a second term.

Despite ongoing pandemic, delegates will hold an in-person roll-call vote in a ballroom at Charlotte Convention Center before attention turns to prime-time programming. It's a sharp contrast to approach of Democrats, who created a roll call via video mont from states across country to avoid a large-scale garing last week at ir well-received virtual convention.

GOP convention is a crucial moment for Trump, who is trailing in national and battleground state polls and under intense pressure to turn race around. Aides hope convention will give m a chance to recast story of Trump's presidency and shift campaign's thrust from a referendum on him to a choice between his vision for America’s future and one presented by Democratic minee Joe Biden.

“This is a kickoff to many weeks of this heing into Election Day," RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel told Associated Press in an interview Sunday. "I don’t think we’re going to slow down.”

Trump, for his part, said he was hoping to set an optimistic tone.

“I think we’re going to see something that is going to be very uplifting and positive. That’s what I’d like it to be," he said in an interview that aired Sunday on Fox News Channel.

For both sides, it's an unconventional convention year.

parties' election-year garings are typically massive events, drawing thousands of delegates, party leers, dors, journalists and political junkies for a week of speeches, parties and after-parties that inject hundreds of thousands of dollars into local ecomy and deliver a multiday infomercial for minee.

But coronavirus has changed all that, as much as Trump has resisted. Just 336 delegates — six from each of 50 states, District of Columbia and U.S. territories — have been invited to cast proxy votes on behalf of more than 2,500 regular delegates. And stringent safety measures have been put in place guided by a 42-p health and safety plan developed by a hired doctor.

Attendees were asked to practice enhanced social distancing and get tested prior to travel, fill out a pre-travel health questionnaire and participate in a daily symptom tracker. y're also being tested onsite and receiving daily health screenings, have been asked to maintain a 6-foot distance from or people and to use face coverings as a condition of participation. RNC has also committed to contacting every participant five, 14 and 21 days after event to check on potential symptoms.

After Charlotte kickoff, most of GOP convention will take place in Washington, D.C., at and around White House, as well as by video. It will feature remarks from a long list of well-kwn Trump supporters, including members of Trump family, conservative firebrands and everyday Americans whom campaign officials say have been helped by Trump’s policies.

First ly Melania Trump will speak Tuesday from Rose Garden, Vice President Mike Pence will appear from Fort McHenry in Baltimore on Wednesday, and Trump will deliver his marquee acceptance speech on Thursday from South Lawn before a crowd of supporters — blurring lines between governing and campaigning yet again.

But first comes “official business" in Charlotte, which party selected in 2018 to host convention. location has been subject of a dizzying back-and-forth after Trump in June angrily dumped city because it refused to guarantee event could be held free from restrictions meant to prevent spre of virus, including mask-wearing and social distancing. After a search, party officials chose a new venue, Jacksonville in crucial state of Florida, which at time h looser virus restrictions.

But as cases in Florida ballooned, Trump anunced unexpectedly last month that he was scrapping those plans, too, and inste would hold most of festivities in Washington.

“It’s a different world,” Trump told reporters. “To have a big convention is t right time."

With pandemic still raging and ecomy in tatters, Trump has a major task at hand. Democrats' convention was “masterfully choreographed," said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University.

“w burden is on Republicans to replicate Democratic effort," Brinkley said. In dition to needing a mess that might attract new voters, he said, Republicans must also find a way to draw in viewers because president is alrey so over-exposed.

“y're going to have a hard time garnering attention because we’ve lived with Trump for so long," Brinkley said. He expressed surprised that Trump hn't tried to grab helines by, for instance, replacing Pence on ticket. “That would really grab everybody’s attention and shake things up," he said. Orwise, “re’s a kind of flatness. ‘Oh, Pence is speaking next week.’”

In dition to formal mination roll-call, party will also approve a handful of new resolutions, including one that backs Columbus Day as a federal holiday and one that labels Sourn Poverty Law Center, which catalogs country’s hate groups, as a “rical organization.” Ar bemoans “cancel culture,” warning that it “has grown into erasing of history, encouraging lawlessness, muting citizens, and violating free exchange of ideas, thoughts, and speech.”

But y will t vote on a 2020 platform, after a unanimous voted to forego one this year.

“RESOLVED, That Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support President’s America-first nda,” a resolution inste res, in part.