President Donald Trump announced Thursday he will not participate in the second presidential debate after the Commission on Presidential Debates said it will take place virtually.
“I am not going to do a virtual debate,” Trump toid Fox Business. “I am not going to waste my time on a virtual debate.”
According to CNN, Trump complained during the interview that a virtual debate would mean he would have to “sit behind a computer” and the moderator could “cut you off whenever they want.”
The next debate is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, but Trump’s comment has thrown a wrench into those plans and ignited a war of words between the two campaigns. Biden’s spokesperson said the campaign would’ve agreed to a virtual format, but because the president bailed, they urged the commission to move the debate back a week and move the third and final debate to Oct. 29, less than a week before the election.
Hours later, Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien said they were willing to accept the terms, but then Biden’s campaign backed out with campaign spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield saying in response, “Donald Trump doesn’t make the debate schedule; the Debate Commission does.”