WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - President Donald Trump said that the Republican National Convention would go forward as planned this August even as the coronavirus caused the cancellation of large-scale events all across the United States.

The Democrats are scheduled to hold their convention in Milwaukee from July 13 to 16. The Republican convention is to be held from Aug 24 to 27, and the President told Mr Sean Hannity on Fox News on Thursday night (March 26): "We're quite a bit later than them, which I think is good."

He added that by the end of August "we're going to be in a great space", though he did not specify why he thought that. He said that he might have a rally in Milwaukee. His campaign has not held any rallies because of the virus.

The Democratic National Committee has been looking at contingency options for its party gathering amid a growing concern that the coronavirus crisis will not have abated by then.

"As we navigate the unprecedented challenge of responding to the coronavirus, we're exploring a range of contingency options to ensure we can deliver a successful convention without unnecessary risk to public health," Ms Katie Peters, communications director for the DNC's convention committee, said in a statement earlier this week.

She added that it is a "very fluid situation", with the Democratic convention more than three months away.

A convention is the only mechanism the parties have to nominate a presidential pick. If the pandemic persists, they would have to change the rules in order to hold a different type of forum.

CNN announced on Thursday night that former vice-president Joe Biden, the leading Democratic candidate, will take part in a network town hall on the coronavirus on Friday night.