GOP may close convention to press, but decision reportedly not final

For the first time in modern American history, it looks like reporters will not be able to recover the Republican National Convention in person.

The scaled-back convention, set to take place between August 21-24 in Charlotte, North Carolina, will reportedly be closed to the press this year, although an official said the decision is not final and press coverage options are still being considered for the event. A convention spokesperson on Saturday said the decision as it stands right now was the result of "health restrictions and limitations in place within" North Carolina amid the coronavirus pandemic. The news was first reported by The Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Journalists weren't pleased with the possibility. The Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, called the decision "ill-advised" since the nomination of President Trump "is very much the business of the American people," while The New York Times' Maggie Haberman noted it appears to be a contradictory move on Trump's part.

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If the rules are not changed, the entire convention still won't be completely private: A Republican official told CNN that the proceedings on the Monday of the convention, including the vote to formally nominate Trump, will be live-streamed. Read more at CNN and The Associated Press.