Elections in the US: Second Presidential Debate Officially Canceled

The second presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden is officially off.

The non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates confirmed Friday that the October 15 confrontation would be eliminated. The decision was made a day after the commission announced that the debate would take place “virtually” because Trump had contracted the coronavirus.

Trump resisted holding the debate in that format, and Biden scheduled a meeting with ABC News for that evening after Trump said he would not participate.

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Later, Trump’s team responded with a call to hold the discussions as scheduled after the president’s doctor said he would be authorized to hold public events beginning Saturday.

But the commission said it would not reverse its decision not to have the candidates together on stage, citing a great deal of caution with health concerns, particularly for the town hall-style debate that included questions from average voters.

The third debate, scheduled for October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee, is still going on.

– AP