Poll: What do you think about Trump’s refusal to a virtual presidential debate?
President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden disagree over timing and format of the remaining presidential debates. Let us know what you think.
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UPDATE: On Friday evening, the Commission on Presidential Debates canceled the second debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden after Trump declined to participate in a virtual debate. Both candidates have agreed to the final presidential debate on October 22.
Uncertainty is a word to describe what might become of the next presidential debate scheduled for October 15. Earlier this week, the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the second presidential debate will be held virtually for both candidates in a town meeting-style forum. The decision came following President Trump’s recent positive COVID-19 diagnosis, the Commission citing a need “to protect the health and safety of all involved with the second presidential debate.”
Trump, who is still recovering from the coronavirus, refused the new format, and during a Fox interview called it, “a waste of time.” He said he would do a rally instead, and later added that he plans to hold another rally as early as Saturday in Florida. “You sit behind a computer and do a debate — it’s ridiculous, and then they cut you off whenever they want,” he said. Note: In a recent Boston.com poll following the last debate, we asked readers what they thought of it and changes they would make to improve the format. More than 15,000 readers weighed in and many readers suggested giving the moderator a mute button to silence microphones as candidates spoke over one another.
The Trump campaign has rejected the Commission’s changes and pushed to move the second and third debates back a week to October 22 and October 29, respectively, for an in-person format. Chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates Frank Fahrenkopf told The Associated Press late Thursday that the nonpartisan group’s decision was not going to be reversed. Biden’s team, who initially agreed to debate virtually, announced that if it doesn’t go on, he would instead participate in a town hall hosted by ABC News on October 15.
Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, who is also infected with the coronavirus, released a statement urging that the debate go on as originally planned in-person.
UPDATE: Based on Dr. Conley’s letter, the Trump campaign is pushing for the 2nd presidential debate originally scheduled for October 15 in Miami to move forward AS PLANNED https://t.co/TEnAyjq9KZ pic.twitter.com/n4vCuiECyb
— Sara Cook (@saraecook) October 9, 2020
So, we want to know what you think. What do you make of the next virtual debate, which may just be a town hall hosted by Joe Biden on prime-time? What do you think of the president’s refusal to attend remotely following his recent coronavirus diagnosis? Or his decision to return to rally events? Let us know what you think in the survey below or email us at [email protected]. We’ll be covering what follows, debate or not.
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Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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