The Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the second debate will be held virtually in the wake of Donald Trump’s positive coronavirus diagnosis, but Trump says he will not be participating in the virtual debate at all.
On Fox Business, Trump said, “I am not going to do a virtual debate,” adding, “I am not going to waste my time on a virtual debate.”
During the interview, Trump complained that a virtual debate would mean he would have to “sit behind a computer,” and the moderator could “cut you off whenever they want.” But the commission said that a virtual debate is not unusual. In fact, in 1960, both Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy had their third debate in different locations.
Still, Trump’s Campaign Manager, Bill Stepien, accused the commission of “unilaterally canceling an in-person debate” to help Biden’s campaign. However, hours later, Stepien came up with a new solution, suggesting to postpone the second and third debate, with the third ending just days before the November 3rd election.
But of course, Biden and his team declined.
Joe Biden was prepared to accept the CPD’s proposal for a virtual Town Hall, but the President has refused, as Donald Trump clearly does not want to face questions from voters about his failures on COVID and the economy,” Deputy Campaign Manager and Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said. “As a result, Joe Biden will find an appropriate place to take questions from voters directly on October 15th, as he has done on several occasions in recent weeks.”
“The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which the candidates would participate from separate remote locations,” the commission announced.
The debate will be held in a town hall format on October 15.
