On Thursday, the the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the coming debate between US President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden Jr. is set to be held virtually rather than a face-to-face one due to health concerns over coronavirus.
Minutes later, Trump announced that he will not participate in the virtual debate, scheduled to be held on October 15th, with Biden, saying, "No I’m not going to waste my time."
The decision to hold virtual debate was made six days after Trump announced on Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for coronavirus.
Since Trump’s diagnosis, more than a dozen White House officials have tested positive for Covid-19.
The commission added that the coming presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which the candidates would participate from separate remote locations in order protect the health and safety of all participants.
The debate’s location in Miami, Florida and the moderator, C-SPAN’s Steve Scully will remain unchanged, they said.
Notably, Trump was transferred to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, where he spent the next three days receiving an aggressive treatment of therapies under the care of a team of doctors.
Trump was discharged from the hospital Monday into the care of White House physicians who say he is steadily improving.
The first debate between the two candidates last Tuesday in Cleveland, Ohio quickly devolved into a fiasco after Trump refused to stop talking when his allotted time was finished, and continued to interrupt and insult Biden for the remainder of the debate.
Biden also grew frustrated during the 90 minute debate, at one point calling the president “a clown.”
Following the disaster in Cleveland, the commission said it was exploring ways to give the debate moderators more ways to enforce the previously-agreed upon rules if and when candidates refused to obey them.
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