President Donald Trump says that he will not participate in the next presidential debate after it was revealed that the debate would be held virtually due to his current COVID-19 diagnosis.
“I’m not gonna waste my time on a virtual debate,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News. “That’s not what debating is all about.”
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Thursday morning the next debate would be remote to “protect the health and safety of all involved” after Trump’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis and the subsequent White House outbreak.
Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager — who also has tested positive for the coronavirus — slammed what he called the commission’s “unilateral declaration.”
“For the swamp creatures at the Presidential Debate Commission to now rush to Joe Biden’s defense by unilaterally canceling an in-person debate is pathetic,” he said in a statement. “The safety of all involved can easily be achieved without canceling a chance for voters to see both candidates go head to head. We’ll pass on this sad excuse to bail out Joe Biden and do a rally instead.”