#Joe Biden to accept nomination at scaled down DNC

The Democratic National Convention will be scaled down in Milwaukee this August, with satellite events held around the country, organizers announced Wednesday.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden will still accept his nomination in the Midwest city, but the convention will move out of Milwaukee basketball’s arena and into a smaller venue nearby as part of coronavirus precautions, according to the convention committee.

“Leadership means being able to adapt to any situation,” DNC Chair Tom Perez said in a reference to President Trump’s plans for a full-scale Republican National Convention in Jacksonville.

“That’s exactly what we’ve done with our convention. Unlike this president, Joe Biden and Democrats are committed to protecting the health and safety of the American people,” he added.

The convention will still be held between Aug. 17-20. All delegates are advised against traveling to Milwaukee and instead cast their votes remotely.

The four-night event will be “anchored” in the city’s smaller Wisconsin Center, with broadcasts streamed each day in yet-to-be-named “cities, locations and landmarks” across the nation, according to the DNC’s news release.

Planners said they’re consulting with epidemiological experts Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, the director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University, and Dr. Larry Brilliant, a former professor of epidemiology who helped eradicate smallpox, to make sure safety protocols are followed in Milwaukee.

“Vice President Biden intends to proudly accept his party’s nomination in Milwaukee and take the next step forward towards making Donald Trump a one-term president,” said Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign manager, said in a statement.

The announcement came the same day the US reported its highest single-day rise in coronavirus cases since late April. More than 34,700 cases were reported Tuesday —  a figure unmatched since April 24, when 36,400 new cases were documented, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Trump has pushed the Republican National Convention to carry on at full scale. The president urged organizers to have the convention moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida, after North Carolina officials couldn’t guarantee allowing large crowds for the events.

The Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place from Aug. 24 to 27.