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(CNN) –– The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) canceled this Friday the second debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, which would take place in Miami. The decision comes after the president refused to hold the event virtually despite concerns about his covid-19 diagnosis, organizers said.
The cancellation ends a furious 48-hour exchange between the commission and both campaigns. It also means that what would have been the third debate in Nashville on October 22 will likely be the final meeting between the two candidates. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on the commission’s decision.
“It is now clear that there will be no debate on October 15, and the CPD will focus its attention on preparations for the final presidential debate scheduled for October 22,” the entity said in a statement.
The commission, with the backing of its health advisers, announced on Thursday morning that the debate would be virtual. Precisely because Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. The CPD detailed that the two candidates would appear from remote places. Trump quickly rejected that plan and assured that he would not show up. A decision that unleashed a series of events that cast doubt on the future of all general election debates.
In response to Trump’s cancellation, a Biden spokeswoman said her campaign would have agreed on a virtual format for the debate next Thursday. However, he added that since the president had apparently retired, they would schedule another event for Biden to answer questions. In fact, that’s what the campaign did: Later that day, ABC News announced that they would host a forum with the former vice president.
“Vice President Biden looks forward to presenting his proposal to the American people on how to overcome this pandemic, restore American leadership and our alliances in the world, and unite the American people,” Biden’s campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said Friday in a release. “It’s embarrassing that Donald Trump avoided the only debate where voters can ask questions, but it’s no surprise.”
The Trump campaign, in response to its candidate withdrawing from the debate, issued three statements on Thursday. The statements criticized the commission, pressured Biden’s campaign to accept a face-to-face debate and said they would be willing to postpone the event from October 15 to October 22. So the third debate would be on October 29, a few days before the November 3 elections.
But Biden’s campaign rejected his proposal. Spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said in response: “Donald Trump does not decide the timing of the debates; the commission does it. ‘
The Trump campaign has argued that since the president’s physician, Dr. Sean Conley, has authorized him to travel, the commission should conduct the debate on stage in person.
