WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he feels well enough to resume campaign activities and rejected the virtual format planned for his next debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden slated for October 15.
The format switch intended to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 in light of Trump’s infection. The first debate between the two, held last week before Trump disclosed that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, descended into chaos with the Republican US president interrupting both Biden and the moderator throughout, reported foreign media.
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. "I'm not going to waste my time on a virtual debate, that's not what debating is all about," Trump said on a phone interview with Fox Business. "You sit behind a computer and do a debate — it’s ridiculous and then they cut you off whenever they want."
Trump’s decision marked the latest whiplash development in the presidential race ahead of the November 3 election. Biden leads in nationwide opinion polls but they show a tighter race in many of the battleground states that may decide the election.
Their two running mates, Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, engaged in a debate on Wednesday evening.
Biden told reporters on Thursday he would follow the recommendations of the debate commission. Biden said he did not know what action he would take if Trump refused to take part. "We don't know what the president's going to do. He changes his mind every second," Biden added.
Even before becoming infected, Trump had faced criticism for his administration's response to a pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 Americans — more than any other country — and thrown millions of people out of work.
More than 6 million Americans have already cast ballots ahead of Election Day. The Commission on Presidential Debates said on Thursday 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. The debate was planned as the second of three between Trump and Biden, with the third set for October 22.
Both campaigns said they were not consulted on the move, but a Biden aide said the Democratic nominee was still prepared to take part. "Vice President Biden looks forward to speaking directly to the American people and comparing his plan for bringing the country together and building back better with Donald Trump's failed leadership on the coronavirus that has thrown the strong economy he inherited into the worst downturn since the Great Depression," Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield said.
Trump wants two face-to-face debates with challenger Joe Biden, his campaign said Thursday, nixing a proposed virtual encounter but calling for a final showdown just five days before election day.
An in-person town hall debate, with questions from voters, "should happen on October 22, and accordingly, the third debate should then be shifted back one week to October 29," just days from the November 3 vote, Trump 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement.