⁍ The Commission on Presidential Debates said it planned to host a town hall-style conversation and that voters and the moderator would ask the candidates questions from the original debate site in Miami.
⁍ Trump expressed concern that the new virtual format announced by the nonpartisan commission in charge of presidential debates could lead to his microphone getting cut off during the encounter.
⁍ Biden leads in nationwide opinion polls but they show a tighter race in many of the battleground states that may decide the election.
– Donald Trump has decided against participating in a virtual debate with Joe Biden scheduled for Oct. 15. “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate, that’s not what debating is all about,” Trump tells Fox Business. “You sit behind a computer and do a debate—it’s ridiculous and then they cut you off whenever they want.” The Commission on Presidential Debates, however, says voters and the moderator will ask the candidates questions from the original debate site in Miami, reports Reuters. The virtual debate was planned as the second of three between Trump and Biden, with the third scheduled for Oct. 22. Trump’s campaign manager says the virtual debate is not necessary and Trump would have “posted multiple negative tests” by the time of the debate. “We’ll pass on this sad excuse to bail out Joe Biden and do a rally instead,” says Bill Stepien, without providing details of the rally location or how the campaign would ensure there was no risk of transmitting the virus.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election/trump-positive-for-covid-19-says-wont-participate-in-virtual-debate-idUSKBN26T1MP