The commission, with the help of its health advisers, announced Thursday morning that – because Trump has tested positive for coronavirus – a scheduled discussion for Miami will be held virtually, with both candidates present from remote locations. Trump quickly rejected the plan, saying he would not show up and set up a series of events that put the future of all general election discussions into question.
In response to Trump’s resignation, a Biden spokesman quickly said he would have agreed to a virtual format for next Thursday’s contest, but since the president was apparently granted bail, he would book another format for the former vice president to take questions. And they did just that, when the next day, ABC News announced that they would be hosting a townhall with the former vice president.
Vice President Biden hopes to make his case to the American people about how to eradicate this epidemic, restore American leadership and our connection to the world, and bring the American people together, and bring the American people together, Biden campaign spokesman B Andrew Bates said in a statement on Friday. Is. “It’s a shame that Donald Trump only had one discussion in which voters get to ask questions – but that’s not surprising.”
The Trump campaign, in response to support from its candidate debate, issued three statements Thursday criticizing the commission, forcing the Biden campaign to agree to a personal debate and saying they would be ready to push back the October 15 debate a week to October 22 and then a third debate on November 3. Move to October 29, a few days before the election.
But Biden’s campaign rejected his proposal. Campaign spokeswoman Kate Beddingfield responded by saying, “Donald Trump does not set the timetable for the debate; the debate is commissioned.”
The Trump campaign has been argued because the president’s physician, Navy CMDR. Dr. Sean Conley, having approved him for the trip, said the commission should move the discussion personally.
There is therefore no medical reason why the Commission on Presidential Debate should move the debate to a virtual setting, defer it, or otherwise change it in any way, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepian said in a statement.
Instead of discussing it, Trump is now in talks with NBC to hold a town hall on Thursday, according to a person familiar with the plans, but the source’s precautionary measures have not yet been decided.
If the event turns out to be fruitful, both candidates will participate in a separate event at the town hall, which was a town hall-style format.
The repeal is a political loss for Trump, who is down in all national polls and with or behind Biden in key swing states. The loss of discussion deprives the President of a platform that is needed at a time when his campaign is behind him. The first debate between Trump and Biden over chaos was watched by more than 73 million people.
The reality for the commission is that, once Trump endorsed and Biden agreed at ABC Town Hall, a second discussion between the candidates is not possible, according to multiple sources familiar with the negotiations.
And commission head Frank Ferenkoff told CNN on Thursday night that the commission’s belief in the presidential debate had not changed slightly since the president was already backed by the contest, forcing him to hold a personal debate in Miami next week of the Trump campaign.
“The Cleveland Clinic will have to clean it up,” Fehrenkoff said. But, he added, it does not re-engage the Biden campaign, with the head of the commission believing it was unlikely to happen after talks with top Biden aides.
“They’ve moved on and are going to do this work with ABC,” Ferenkoff added. “It doesn’t feel good until the Biden campaign changes their minds.”
Negotiations between the campaign and the commission early Friday did nothing to change the fact that the Miami debate was unlikely.
A source familiar with today’s talks told CNN, “It’s fair to say that it looks like Miami will be canceled.” “I don’t think there’s any movement on either side that makes Miami.”
Caitlan Collins of CNN contributed to this report.
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