July 31 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Friday is expected to participate in a roundtable on COVID-19 response and storm preparedness as Hurricane Isaias prepares to bear down on Florida.
He's traveling to the Sunshine State to take part in a presidential campaign event in Tampa before traveling to Pelican Golf Club in Belleair to participate in the roundtable at 4:30 p.m. EDT.
Trump was originally planning to attend a fundraiser at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort this weekend, but canceled those plans because of the approach of Isaias, the Republican National Committee said.
The storm strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane late Thursday as it approached the Bahamas. The National Hurricane Center said Isaias is on track to bring heavy rain and strong winds to the far east coast of Florida this weekend, but is not forecast to make landfall until it reaches the Carolinas early next week.
A tropical storm watch is in effect for the east coast of Florida from Ocean Reef to Sebastian Inlet.
The roundtable event will also include discussion about the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened nearly 4.5 million people in the United States and killed more than 152,000 as of Friday morning, according to experts at Johns Hopkins University.
Trump is expected to return to Washington, D.C., late Friday.
