Reporters face ban from Republican convention

Reporters could be banned from the Republican National Convention which will be held behind closed doors for the first time in its 164-year history.

Only 336 people will attend the convention in Charlotte, North Carolina later this month, where they will cast proxy votes on behalf of more than 2,500 official delegates who would normally have been expected to attend.

“Given the health restrictions and limitations in place within the state of North Carolina, we are planning for the Charlotte activities to be closed press Friday, August 21 – Monday, August 24,” a convention spokeswoman said.

“We are happy to let you know if this changes, but we are working within the parameters set before us by state and local guidelines regarding the number of people who can attend events.”

It was reported that this would lead to reporters being banned, but on Sunday the Republican National Committee backtracked saying no final decision had been taken.

Normally nominating conventions are a vast jamboree, designed to boost party morale and give maximum media exposure to the presidential nominee.

Last week Donald Trump announced that the party had cancelled plans for a full-scale convention in Jacksonville Florida because of the surge in Covid-19, opting for the scaled-down event in Charlotte.

The Democrats, meanwhile have announced plans for a small convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where facemasks, social distancing and coronavirus testing will be mandatory.