It is practically a fact that the second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, scheduled for October 15 in Miami, Florida, will not take place.
This Thursday, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced that it would change the face-to-face format of the next meeting to be held virtually, citing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
[Follow our coverage of the 2020 presidential elections]
The virtual debate was proposed in order to "protect the health and safety of everyone involved," CPD said.
President Trump, who
has not yet overcome the coronavirus infection detected just a week ago, and considers himself a contagious patient, was
quick to react.
Trump refused to participate in a virtual debate:
"I am not going to waste my time," he
said Thursday morning on Fox Business.
The president added that he will not "sit in front of a computer" in a debate that he described as "ridiculous."
"They are trying to protect Biden," he added.
The first lady, Melania Trump;
President Donald Trump;
candidate Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, together after the presidential debate on September 29.
Biden's campaign did accept the rule change
initially on Thursday.
"Vice President Biden looks forward to speaking directly to the American people and comparing his plan to unite the country and rebuild better with Donald Trump's failed leadership on the coronavirus," said Deputy Campaign Director Kate Bedingfield.
Late in the afternoon, ABC News confirmed that the Democratic candidate will participate on October 15, the day the second debate was to take place, in a forum organized by the news network.
The forum, where Biden will answer questions from voters, is in the city of Philadelphia.
The announcement indicates that it is practically a fact that the second presidential debate will not take place on the date that was planned.
Candidates "are not required to debate"
CPD President Frank Fahrenkopf told NBC News, our sister network: "No presidential candidate is required to debate.
Jimmy Carter refused to do so during the first debate in 1980.
It depends on the individual candidate."
The second presidential debate was to be, as announced by the CPD, as a municipal meeting, in which
the candidates would participate from remote locations
.
The moderator, Steve Scully, from the C-SPAN network, would be located at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, Florida.
The team of reporters accompanying the president had planned to cover the event.
This occurs the day after the first and only face-to-face meeting between the vice presidential candidates, Democratic Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence.
Unlike the first presidential debate, filled with interruptions and insults, this one was more civilized.
[Trump vs Biden: the first debate ends in chaos and they consider it the worst in history in the US]
Earlier this week, Biden pointed out that if Trump remained contagious, the debate might not go as planned.
"I don't know exactly what the rules will be and I'm not sure what the status of President Trump is," Biden told reporters in Pennsylvania, adding that he "looked forward to discussing with him."
"We are going to have to follow very strict guidelines," he added.
Three minutes showing why the first presidential debate made history (and not because of its height)
Oct. 2, 202003: 40
Earlier that day, the president tweeted that he was "waiting" for the debate.
Trump continues treatment against the coronavirus in the White House,
after being discharged Monday from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The president's doctors assured that he is recovering and has no symptoms, although he received strong steroid therapy that is typically used in the most severe cases of COVID-19.
Trump fell ill last Thursday, according to the White House, just 48 hours after the first debate with Biden.
After that, the Democrat underwent several COVID-19 tests, in which he came back negative, before returning to the campaign.
Trump was still potentially contagious when he
was released from the hospital on Monday
, but his doctors have not provided any detailed updates on his condition.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those with mild or moderate symptoms can be contagious and must remain isolated for at least 10 days after being diagnosed.
So far,
23 people close to the White House and three Republican senators
have tested positive for the coronavirus.