Trump campaign manager calls out Mayor Ron Nirenberg over RNC in San Antonio

‘I have reservations about spending millions of taxpayer dollars,' mayor says

SAN ANTONIO – The Republican National Committee and San Antonio business and political leaders have discussed the possibility of the RNC holding its next presidential convention in San Antonio in 2020, but the discussion seems to have gotten off to a bumpy start.

The manager of the Trump re-election campaign, Brad Parscale, on his personal Twitter account, called out San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg for taking “a possible 200mm from the community.”

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Parscale told KSAT’s Steve Spriester that he was referring to the money that a presidential convention would bring.

Nirenberg sent out a memo Wednesday informing the City Council of the March 23 meeting of business and civic leaders with the Republican Party representatives. In the memo, Nirenberg called it an “opportunity for San Antonio to host a national political convention.”

The mayor also said in the memo that at one point after that meeting, “I was informed that the GOP opted not to pursue a bid from San Antonio.”

“Today, I learned that the GOP has renewed its interest in San Antonio,” Nirenberg continued in his memo.

Nirenberg directed the city manager to schedule a full briefing for the City Council at the earliest possible date.

In a statement, Nirenberg said, “I have reservations about spending millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize any political convention.”

Nirenberg did not respond directly to the charges that the city may pass up a convention opportunity.

“I don’t respond to political operatives' tweetstorms,” he said.

Cleveland hosted the GOP Convention in 2016, and Philadelphia hosted the Democrats later that same summer.

Read Nirenberg's entire memo below: 

I have reservations about spending millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize any political convention. The national parties dangle their conventions in front of cities every four years. This is nothing new.

There is a reason that San Antonio has not pursued a national political convention since 2000. The local community has to commit tens of millions of dollars upfront, and prudent fiscal stewards have good reason to question whether that expense is worthwhile for the community.

The 2020 national political conventions are no exception.  


About the Author:

Steve Spriester started at KSAT in 1995 as a general assignments reporter. Now, he anchors the station's top-rated 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.