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August 21, 2020

RNC Gives Out Swag at Pared-Down Event

Delegates will gather for small meetings this week in Charlotte before GOP figures address the country from various locations.

By  Sara Lavenduski

After several months of uncertainty due to the pandemic, a much smaller Republican National Convention, hosted by the Republican National Committee (RNC), will take place next week, and swag will play a part in welcoming guests to Charlotte, NC.

This weekend, GOP delegates from around the country will arrive in at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center to prepare for meetings – a combination of in-person and video conferencing, including caucuses over Zoom – on Monday, Aug. 24, the first official day of the event. For the rest of the week, GOP figures will address the country with livestreamed addresses.

On Tuesday, First Lady Melania Trump and President Trump’s adult children will address the nation from the White House Rose Garden. Vice President Mike Pence will deliver Wednesday’s keynote from Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump will make short livestreamed appearances on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, culminating in his official GOP nomination acceptance speech on Thursday from the South Lawn of the White House.

The Convention addresses will cap off two weeks of altered election year events during the pandemic. The all-virtual Democratic National Convention took place from Aug. 17 to 20.

RNC Merchandise

Delegates arriving in Charlotte will receive this welcome bag combining traditional promo with PPE.

To keep the event much smaller than what’s traditionally a raucous political jamboree every four years, state Republican National Committees across the country have decided to send far fewer representatives. New York, for example, is sending just six to stand in for its 90 delegates, and Connecticut will send three people to represent 28.

“This year, a lot of the pomp and circumstance is going to be gone,” Jeffrey Santopietro, Trump’s reelection campaign coordinator in Connecticut, told the San Antonio Express-News. Likewise, Barbara Drago of Albany, NY, had looked forward to attending as an alternate, she told the Albany Times Union. “I’m still disappointed,” she says, “but I understand we are going to have a marvelous showing with virtual events.”

Arriving delegates can pick up branded snacks and bottles of Cheerwine (a cherry-flavored soft drink popular in the South) and mark the experience at a special RNC photo wall.

Attendees will also receive a brimming welcome bag with drinkware, an elephant-shaped stress reliever, buttons and the requisite PPE, like masks, wipes and sanitizing spray.

The hybrid event has been marked by some controversy in recent months. In June, the government in North Carolina refused to agree to host a full-scale convention as COVID cases continued to rise. Trump announced that the event would be moved to Jacksonville, FL, but canceled those plans and agreed to a hybrid event that allowed for a smaller gathering of delegates.

All attendees were tested for COVID a week before their arrival date, and all will have to take another test upon arrival at the event’s host hotel, county health director Gibbie Harris said, as reported by Joe Bruno of WSOCTV. Vendors working at the event have also taken tests. All have turned up negative so far.

For those watching the GOP addresses from home this week, the Donald J. Trump online store has apparel, drinkware, signs, buttons, can coolers and, of course, MAGA hats.