Trump "Florida Convention Canceled... Payroll Tax Exemption Abandoned"

Corona19 Briefing Sudden Announcement
US Infections Exceed 4 Million, Plans Changed
Hotspot Main School Opening Delay Also Mentioned
School Support Budget Passage Demanded Instead of Payroll Tax Exemption

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] As the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 4 million, President Donald Trump canceled the Republican National Convention scheduled for June 24-27 in Jacksonville, Florida.

U.S. President Donald Trump is briefing while pointing to a map showing the regional COVID-19 infection status.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 23rd (local time), President Trump announced this during a COVID-19 task force briefing, stating that considering the resurgence of COVID-19 in Florida, the schedule for the Jacksonville convention was inappropriate and that it was not the right time to hold a large-scale convention.

President Trump explained that although he canceled the convention, which was to be his presidential campaign kickoff, he would deliver his acceptance speech in another form.

President Trump also indicated that the delegates would gather in North Carolina, the original location of the convention. He had previously changed the convention venue from North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida, after North Carolina adhered to social distancing guidelines.

CNN reported that President Trump had intended to hold an in-person convention and deliver his acceptance speech but reversed this stance.

On this day, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the United States exceeded 4 million. Johns Hopkins University reported that as of the afternoon, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. was 4,026,288, with 144,032 deaths.

President Trump's 'backtracking' did not stop there. He also stated that some states severely affected by the resurgence of COVID-19 should delay the start of the fall semester by a few weeks. He said, "In these states, governors should decide on school openings based on statistics."

President Trump has strongly advocated for the resumption of in-person classes in the fall semester. He pressured the Democrats to include school support funding in the fifth economic relief bill, but both Democrats and some Republicans opposed the payroll tax exemption, which he has now abandoned. Previously, President Trump had said he would not sign a stimulus bill without a payroll tax exemption. It is presumed that he focused on school support funding instead of the payroll tax exemption.

Earlier that day, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also stated that the Republican stimulus bill would not include a payroll tax cut. Instead, the Republicans announced plans to provide $1,200 in cash per individual again and to extend the expanded unemployment benefits, which are set to expire at the end of this month, by compensating 70% of previous wages.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.