President Donald Trump says he will not attend the second presidential debate between him and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
The debate is scheduled for October 15 and will be held virtually, according to the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
However, Trump said during an interview on the Fox Business channel that he will not participate in the second presidential debate.
“No I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate,” the president said. Trump’s campaign later announced that Trump will conduct a rally that evening instead.
The debate is set to be held in Miami and moderated by C-SPAN’s Steve Scully, and these details will not be changed, according to the commission.
“The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which the candidates would participate from separate remote locations,” the debate commission said in a statement. They mentioned the need to “protect the health and safety of all involved” as the reason for the changes.
The change of the setup was done to favor Biden, according to Trump and his allies. However, a Biden campaign source denied the accusation and told NBC News that the decision was independent.
The decision came six days after the president revealed that he and first lady Melania Trump had contracted the coronavirus.
Over a dozen White House officials have tested positive for the coronavirus since Trump was diagnosed. Earlier this week, Biden said the debate must not be held if Trump still has Covid-19.
“I don’t think I’m contagious,” Trump said during his interview with Fox on Thursday morning.
Trump is in "a more severe category"
Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager, who also contracted the virus, stressed that it is still safe to conduct the debate in person.
Based on the guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Trump is still contagious 10 to 20 days from the onset of symptoms. Trump’s symptoms appeared on or about Oct. 1.
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said the president appears to be in a more severe category.
“It is a little bit confusing, but by and large, the president looks pretty good,” he said during an interview on CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.” “So far so good, and we have high hopes for his complete and rapid recovery.”
“But that said, he’s still in a dangerous position. He is 74 years old, he is overweight, he is male. All of those things put him in a more severe category potentially,” he noted.
Covid-19 positive White House officials
Top White House aide Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus first. Hicks reportedly spends a lot of time with Trump. Hicks, the president, and his first lady went to Cleveland for the debate on Air Force One with a group that is composed of Trump’s relatives and advisors.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has also tested positive for the coronavirus following President Donald Trump’s diagnosis. Two of McEnany’s deputies, Chad Gilmartin and Karoline Leavitt, also contracted the virus. The three of them are among the 18 people in the White House or near Trump’s reelection campaign who turned out to be Covid-19 positive since late last week.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s senior adviser and speechwriter, also contracted the virus and is among the 22 persons in Trump's circle who have been infected with the disease.
