2020 Republican National Convention

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States,^[2] plans to convene a traditional large-scale convention were cancelled a few weeks before the convention. Primary venues included the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., with many other remote venues also being utilized. The convention nominated President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for reelection.


The convention was originally scheduled to be held at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, but on June 2, 2020, Trump and the Republican National Committee pulled the event from Charlotte after the North Carolina state government declined to agree to Trump's demands to allow the convention to take place with a full crowd and without public health measures designed to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as social distancing and face coverings.^[3] Trump then announced that the convention would be moved to Jacksonville, Florida, but subsequently cancelled the Jacksonville convention plans on July 23.^[2] Some convention proceedings, albeit dramatically reduced in scale, were still held in Charlotte,^[4] such as "small, formal business meetings."^[5] Most speeches were delivered at Washington, D.C.'s Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. Other events and festivities, including Trump's acceptance speech, were held remotely at various locations, including Fort McHenry and the White House.^[6] By tradition, because Republicans held the presidency, their convention was conducted after the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which was held from August 17–20.^[7] Another contrast to typical conventions was the prerecorded nature of much of the convention's content. Former White House director of management and administration Marcia Lee Kelly was named convention president and CEO in April 2019.^[8][9]


The convention utilized federal government properties as locations for events, and Trump displayed official acts of government (issuing a pardon and the presiding over a naturalization during convention broadcasts). This was a break from political norms and attracted criticism. Numerous aspects of the convention were cited as potentially violating the Hatch Act of 1939. As part of a later settlement with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, Lynne Patton, a Trump-appointed administrator in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, confessed to violating the Hatch Act of 1939.


Trump faced only token opposition in the Republican primaries and caucuses, and unofficially clinched the Republican nomination in March 2020, when he reached 1,276 pledged delegates.^[10] On November 3, 2020, Trump and Pence went on to lose the general election to the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Refusing to concede, Trump and his allies led various attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, which were unsuccessful in preventing Biden from becoming the 46th president of the United States.

Format[edit]

The nomination event took place in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the party was contractually obligated to conduct its official business there.^[90] Only just over 300 delegates were expected to attend.^[91]


The main speeches took place every night from 8:30 to 11:00 p.m. EDT.^[92] Headlining speakers spoke after 10:00 p.m.^[92] The speeches took place in Washington, DC,^[93] rather than in Charlotte.^[92]

Impact[edit]

An August 30 ABC poll found no increase in Trump's favorability ratings following the convention.^[246] Further polling indicated that there had been virtually no convention bounce for either party.^{[247][248][249][250][251]} Some polling even showed Trump's favorability rating to have declined following the convention.^[252]


Ahead of, and during, the conventions, various outlets had speculated that significant convention bounces were unlikely for either party.^{[253][254][255][256]} This was due to several cited factors. One was that it had been observed that convention bounces had been more minuscule in recent elections. Per some calculations, convention bounces had averaged just 2 points since 2004, compared to just under 7 points between 1968 and 2000.^[253] Per other calculations, average bounces since 1996 averaged 3.6 points while bounces between 1962 and 1992 averaged 6.3 points.^[255] Another factor cited for why it was seen as unlikely for either party to generate a significant convention bounce in 2020 was that polls in the 2020 race had, in the months prior to the convention, shown a remarkably steady race, with Biden consistently holding an average lead of 6 points, exceeding a 10-point lead in some polls and never slipping below a lead of 4 points in the polling average. It has been shown that more stable races tend to see smaller convention bounces.^[253][256] Another was that the conventions, having been scaled-back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were seen as less likely to generate as much attention as past conventions had, particularly due to the decrease in television viewership.^[253][254] Another was that the electorate was already strongly opinionated on the candidates, with more voters holding a strong opinion on Trump than any incumbent since at least 1980, and more voters holding a strong opinion on Biden than any challenger to an incumbent since at least 1980.^[253] Races where voters hold strong opinions on the candidates tend to see smaller convention bounces.^[253] Strong partisanship among the electorate was another cited factor.^[256]