After Trump cancels amid virus, Republican Jewish Coalition conference postponed
Organizers of the meet, set for Sheldon Adelson’s Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, had faced mounting pressure to cancel
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The Republican Jewish Coalition on Wednesday said it was postponing its conference scheduled to be held in Las Vegas this weekend, minutes after US President Donald Trump canceled his participation amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“In light of the COVID-19 epidemic, in consultation with the White House and our outside experts, we have regretfully decided to postpone the RJC Annual Meeting,” the group said.
Trump, after speaking to the nation on the coranavirus in a rare Oval Office address, cancelled a planned trip by the president to Nevada and Colorado this week, “out of an abundance of caution,” the White House said.
Trump’s re-election campaign also postponed a planned March 19 event in Milwaukee that was set to feature the president.
The RJC had faced mounting pressure to cancel its event following calls to halt conferences and mass gatherings.
Have talked to several people expected to attend RJC in Las Vegas this weekend, where Trump is still scheduled to speak, who have been vocal to organizers that it should be postponed. They are concerned about a conference-style event but fear being shunned for not attending.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) March 11, 2020
“We will look for dates in the near future when we can reschedule and when the current health crisis allows, the RJC said.
Trump had been scheduled speak at the RJC’s annual conference for the second consecutive year.
The venue for the March 14 appearance, the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, is owned by Sheldon Adelson, a major benefactor of the RJC and Republican campaigns, including Trump’s. Unlike his predecessors, Trump rarely enters into neutral or hostile political territory and thus mostly speaks to groups that favor him.
That preference extends to pro-Israel groups. Trump has not attended an American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference since 2016, when the group rebuked him for disparaging then-sitting president Barack Obama from its stage.
In the last year, however, he has spoken to two groups that are favored by Adelson: the RJC and the Israeli American Council.
Five people who attended the annual AIPAC conference last week have been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the U.S. House of Representatives minority leader, were also scheduled to speak at the conference.
The Times of Israel Community.