Washington: Donald Trump has refused to participate in the next Presidential debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden, scheduled on October 15, if it is conducted virtually as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.
”No I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate,” Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox Business on Thursday. “That’s not what debating’s about.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates said that the October 15 debate, the second of three Presidential debates, will see the participants appearing from remote locations while moderator Steve Scully will be live from the planned location of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.
The first Presidential debate was held on September 29 at Cleveland, Ohio.
“The decision was made in order to protect the health and safety of all involved,” the commission said in a statement.
Health concerns are all the more relevant as Trump and first lady Melania had contracted coronavirus and the President was hospitalized over the weekend. Moreover, a dozen White House staffers have been infected with the virus, which has killed more than 210,000 people in the US.
Moderator Steve Scully will be live from the planned location of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, and the commission says the White House press pool will “provide coverage.”
