WASHINGTON: The second US presidential debate scheduled for October 15 will take place virtually, if President Trump agrees.
Trump rejected the decision of the Committee on Presidential Debates that the debate would take place remotely minutes after it was announced, saying the idea was “ridiculous”, even though he tested Covid + ve last week and the The commission said the “health and safety of all involved” created the need for a virtual debate.
“I am not going to waste my time in a virtual debate, it is not about that. You sit behind a computer and have a debate, it’s ridiculous, ”Trump said.
the Biden’s Camp he widely accepted the idea. Many Democrats had been pushing for a virtual debate because the White House has refused to disclose vital health matters, such as the last time Trump tested negative for Covid-19. Trump and his family also disregarded basic mask protocols during the first debate in Cleveland, after which 11 people who helped organize the event tested positive for the virus.
Trump critics see another reason for the president to bolt out of the second debate. His performance in the former relied on frequent interruptions (128 in 90 minutes, by one count) in an effort to derail Biden’s train of thought, without the president himself offering any coherent response. A virtual format where you will have to give up the platform, especially if your microphone is turned off when it is not your time to speak, and making your case in your own time could completely expose your lack of political depth and skills.
The idea of a virtual debate is not that unusual, certainly not in the Covid era when remote or remote events are the new norm. Back in 1967, Robert Kennedy (in Washington DC) had a virtual television debate on CBS with Ronald reagan (in Sacramento). But his own Covid + ve diagnosis has given Trump a chance to ditch a format he finds inconvenient.
When asked in a Fox Business News interview if he was contagious, Trump said no, that he is “essentially very clean” and that he is back in action because “I am a perfect physical specimen and I am extremely young.”
Trump withdrew from the debate despite being Covid + ve and not disclosing his precise current medical condition (doctors treating him were reportedly asked to sign nondisclosure agreements) after another inconsistent video message posted by the Wednesday night in which he pumped a pharmaceutical company for a miracle cure that he said helped him overcome the coronavirus.
“They gave me RegeneronTrump said, citing the company name as the drug rather than its product, a cocktail of monoclonal antibodies called REGN-COV2 from which he received an infusion. “It was incredible. I felt good right away. I felt as good three days ago as now, ”he added, vowing that his administration would make sure that everyone with Covid-19 got it for free.
On Video: 2020 US Presidential Election: Trump Says He Won’t Hold a Virtual Debate
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