Having Charlotte host the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) in August has been controversial since the beginning.

In July 2018, when no on had ever heard of COVID-19, the Charlotte City Council voted 6-5 to host the convention.

Nearly two years later the controversy has only ramped up. In April the Charlotte City Council voted 6-5 to accept a $50 million grant from the US Department of Justice for security costs related to the convention. For a city council to waiver on whether or not to accept a $50 million federal grant is a good indication of just how much some of Charlotte’s elected officials don’t want to have the RNC in the Queen City.

Now President Donald Trump, who is all but certain to be the candidate the Republicans nominate for president at that convention, has entered into the debate and set a deadline.

Trump has given North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper a week to offer assurances that the convention can be held with full attendance Aug. 24-27.

Cooper has said that’s three months away and so far has not made any promises.

Cooper’s Republican opponent for governor in November, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, released a statement today leaving no doubt where he stood on the issue.

Forest said, “If Governor Cooper wants the economic boom that a convention brings to a state, then he is responsible for putting together rules to make that happen. With the governor’s track record of changing rules of the game, I agree with President Trump that assurances are needed from the Cooper administration within the week. His administration doesn’t have a problem micromanaging the rest of our economy. So when other states in our region are clamoring for the opportunity to host the RNC, Gov. Cooper is either not willing to lead or he doesn’t want the convention in Charlotte.”

Both Georgia and Florida have indicated that they would like to have the RNC in their respective states.

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