Trump plans to deliver speech accepting GOP presidential nomination at White House or Gettysburg

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Monday he plans to deliver his acceptance speech for Republican presidential nomination during the Republican National Convention (RNC) from either the White House or Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, an American Civil War battlefield where former President Abraham Lincoln made one of his most famed addresses.

"We have narrowed the Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, to be delivered on the final night of the Convention (Thursday), to two locations -- The Great Battlefield of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and the White House, Washington, D.C.," Trump tweeted.

"We will announce the decision soon!" the president said.

The president said last week he would "probably" give the speech from the White House, raising legal and ethical issues since the White House, as a federal property, is not supposed to be used in political events.

However, if Trump chooses the battlefield at Gettysburg, now a national military park administered by the National Park Service, he may face similar criticism for delivering such a high-profile political speech on federal property.

Trump last spoke at Gettysburg in October 2016, weeks prior to the 2016 general election.

The Democratic and Republican conventions have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. The Republican National Convention is now finally scheduled to take place in Charlotte, southern US state North Carolina, between Aug. 24 and 27 though most activities are expected to be held virtually.

Trump is still expected to visit Charlotte during business meetings among party leaders, though his acceptance speech on the last day of the convention will be delivered at another location, according to a report by The Hill.

In July 1863, the three-day Gettysburg battle resulted in 51,000 casualties and the defeat of the invading Confederate army under General Robert Lee, making it the bloodiest one and a turning point in the four-year American Civil War.