FILE PHOTO: US Democratic Presidential Candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden holds up his protective face mask as he talks about the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic during a campaign event in Wilmington, Delaware, USA, June 30, 2020. REUTERS / Kevin Lamarque – RC2TJH9IC016 / File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The University of Notre Dame said Monday that it withdrew from hosting the first U.S. presidential debate in 2020 on September 29 due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic, so the location of the event will be moved. to Cleveland.
The first debate between President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, will now be co-organized by Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic, the Presidential Debates Commission said.
The Rev. John I. Jenkins, president of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, said in a statement that the health precautions necessary to organize the debate “would have greatly diminished the educational value of organizing the debate on our campus.” Student attendance would be restricted and volunteer opportunities would be minimized, Jenkins said.
The relocation marks the second time a discussion site has been moved due to the pandemic. In June, the University of Michigan withdrew from the second presidential debate on October 15, and the event moved to Miami.
A third presidential debate will take place in Nashville on October 22. A debate between Vice President Mike Pence and the not-yet-nominated Democratic vice presidential candidate will take place in Salt Lake City on October 7.
Reports by Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu and James Oliphant; Edition of Dan Grebler and David Gregorio
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