Virtual debate announced for Biden V Trump round 2, Donald chickens out.

MSN/AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump vowed Thursday not to participate in next week's debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden after organizers announced it will take place virtually because of the president's diagnosis of COVID-19.

“I’m not going to do a virtual debate" with Biden, Trump told Fox News, moments after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced the changes due to Trump's diagnosis.

That cast serious doubts on whether the event will go forward, even as Biden's campaign vowed that its candidate will participate.

“Vice President Biden looks forward to speaking directly to the American people," deputy Biden campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement.

It is more evidence that the race remains defined by the virus, even as Trump has attempted to underplay it.

The announcement from the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates cited a need "to protect the health and safety of all involved with the second presidential debate.” The candidates will “participate from separate remote locations” while the participants and moderator remain in Miami, it said.

The announcement came a week before Biden and Trump were scheduled to face off in Miami.

Trump was diagnosed with the coronavirus a week ago and but in a Tuesday tweet said he looked forward to debating Biden on stage in Miami, “It will be great!” he tweeted.

Biden, for his part, said he and Trump “shouldn’t have a debate” as long as the president remains COVID positive.

Biden told reporters in Pennsylvania that he was “looking forward to being able to debate him” but said “we’re going to have to follow very strict guidelines.”

Trump fell ill with the virus last Thursday, just 48 hours after debating Biden in person for the first time in Cleveland. While the two candidates remained a dozen feet apart during the debate, Trump's infection sparked health concerns for Biden and sent him to undergo multiple COVID-19 tests before returning to the campaign trail.

Trump was still contagious with the virus when he was discharged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday but his doctors have not provided any detailed update on his status. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those with mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 can be contagious for as many as — and should isolate for at least — 10 days.

It's not the first debate in which the candidates are not in the same room. In 1960, the third presidential debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy was broadcast with the two candidates on opposite coasts.

A virtual debate? That makes too much sense! Of course, COVIDonald chickened out...

Of course he chickened out. Without being able to interrupt he'd have to stand on his job performance and his lack of vision.

Remember how everyone said Biden was gonna chicken out?

Where are these people now?

Smart move on Trump’s team part. Biden’s handlers would resort to cheating with a teleprompter like he’s used in basement interviews.

This also doesn’t look good for Democrats as they appear insensitive to wuhan virus survivors. Way to stigmatize the thousands of survivors...who vote.

You do know trump uses them at rallies.............

@LJS9502_basic: But not in interviews.

Also, the next moderator, Steve Scully interned for Biden and in ‘16, and tweeted ‘No, not Trump, not ever’. Obviously there’s a conflict of interest there and a total lack of trust. Donna Brazile, anyone?

@zaryia: Care to counter instead of an unfunny meme?

I legitimately think it's because of the possibility of muting. I won't be surprised if, to him, talking over his opponent in a debate is a power move. But Trump need to remember that Virtual communication is how most of the Country has connected even before the pandemic. This is out of touch and will cost him, if the mountain of other bad weeks didn't bury him already.

You'd think that someone who uses twitter as much as the US president does to get his opinions and Policies out, would be onboard with a debate done online.

Let me put it in better context,

And to day,

You got demolished man.

@zaryia: In other words, no counter.

Thanks for not playing.

@Treflis: It’s an unfair set up. The moderator is already anti Trump and a former Biden intern. Also Biden may resort to using a teleprompter as he’s done in previous basement interviews.

lol. that's a stretch....

Trump needs these debates. He was already polling poorly, and the last debate didn't help. He needs opportunities to move the needle.

The president, the leader of the free world, in prior terms a beacon of strength and integrity, held with poise and authority, is now too much of a puss to use a Zoom chat.

Really let that sink in.

I don't know how you think Biden can use a teleprompter for unscripted town halls........seems like you're grasping.

You got obliterated man.

They should do it in VR with their own avatars.

Trump wanting to debate Biden on stage instead of on a Zoom call makes him a chicken? I think you are confused man...

"On stage" while he is SICK with COVID. Key words there.

Do you... like the idea of Donnie potentially killing people with what he's infected with?

He knows that isn't going to happen so he's hiding behind it as an excuse.

@zaryia: You can repeat it all you want, but you can’t refute me so there’s that.

Also ‘And to day,’ today is one word. I know, basic two-syllable words are hard.

@LJS9502_basic: What town hall?

I can see why Trump would reject that. He’s debating style is to intimidate and insult his opponent, while speaking pretty incoherently about the issues. That style wouldn’t work in a virtual setting. His punches just wouldn’t land. At the same time his ignorance on many topics would be highlighted.

That being said, he is losing BIG, so he needs to gamble a bit and get something going. Probably doesn’t matter what he does, because Covid is not going away and peoples lives will continue to get worse leading up to November. There’s just not much he can do tbh.

It was a typo. Trump had the lowest educated base in 40 years so please don't go play that angle.

I'm not going to refute your personal opinion. I was showing you how the person I quoted was right. You flip-flopped hard.

For months we heard how Biden was too scared. It turns out Trump ended up too scared. I would skip it too if I was Trump after the disasters first debate that further sank his numbers.

@zaryia: ‘Trump had the lowest educated base in 40 years so please don't go play that angle.’

But, you made the typo? Also, ‘had’? Let me guess - another typo?

Second debate.

Basically:

-Trump acts like a child and won't STFU during his debate, also never discussing any curriculum on any plans on anything whatsoever.

-Chris Wallace openly says in the debate "Mr. President, your party agreed to let uninterrupted debates, please follow the agreed upon rules-" and then interrupted while saying that.

-presidental debates are seen as a major low point in American politics, from other countries laughing at it to Americans tuning it out in discust.

- Reacting to the fallout from said debate, the commission talks about muting mics to stop debate rulebreaking, followed by a change to a digital debate after Trump gets Covid because of a lack of following guidelines.

-Trump then says it's unfair, he won't do it because HE will be interrupted, it's a waste of HIS time, and that he will hold another rally instead...

- Then, When asked about his health and covid, he responds by saying that he's the "perfect physical specimen" and he's "extremely young", dispite being 74 years old and clinically Obese as hell.

I really wish this was made up, because I've seen "triggered Karen" videos that where more grounded in reality than this.

This is trolling now. My use of "had" seems appropriate, I was discussing 2016 figures.

Anyway, you flip-flopped.

@LJS9502_basic: I haven’t read anything about the virtual debate being in a town hall setting. If that’s the case, how is it a level playing field? Biden gets the glitz of a studio and audience, albeit small I’m assuming, and Trump, the current president, looks like the diseased guest on a monitor? Who the hell would sign up for that?

Not much help for that since he literally is a diseased guest.

Are we going the grammar nazi route now?

Trumps style doesn't work if he is forced to follow the rules. He wants to intimidate and "win" by being a tough guy. If he can't do as he wants he won't play ball it seems.

Trump is a pussy. Very weak, very cowardly. We need someone who isn't afraid to debate someone that they're afraid of, which Trump very much is.

That said, it's probably a good thing for Joe if the election cycle gets more or less paused so close to the end when he's doing so well against the cowardly Don.

trump gets the glitz of the Oval Office which beats a studio and if he had worn a damn mask and followed CDC guidelines he wouldn't be a diseased guest. It is what it is.

Well good for Trump to push back on this then. Biden would be happy to have his hand held through a virtual debate, all because of a virus with a 99.87% survival rate.

Biden wants a virtual debate so people can feed him answers to questions. Last I checked, both sides agreed to three in-person debates. Seems Biden wants to hide in his basement again. What a pussy.

trump is pushing back because he's losing and his last debate was a blood bath for him.

First of all the nonpartisan debate commission decided this, not the Biden campaign, so your bitching about what Biden wants as a basis for this is worthless. Second, Biden has held regular unfed campaign events since running including the previous debate which was massively successful for their poll numbers, so the idea that he's afraid of them is laughable. Not to mention, it was Trump who pussed out, so your shit tier projection just makes you and him look like idiots.

Your dedication to the theory that Biden is a drooling, unthinking imbecile only capable of reading answers fed to him is admirable.

He wasn't wearing an earpiece. He wasn't wearing smart contacts, and he's perfectly capable of composing himself during a debate.

Your "Biden is senile" argument was always bullshit, and now that it's been exposed you need to move on.

Uh... sure that's another way to look at it. My point still stands that Trump just wants to proceed with the format that was already agreed upon, since Biden was too much of a pussy to do four debates.

I think it must piss you off that Trump is already out of the hospital and is eager to get back to doing a real debate.

Ain't nothing non-partisan in this country anymore.

Move to America then Komrade.

Trump agreed to the debate commission rules, this has nothing to do with Biden. Trump badly lost the first debate. Trump should do this, he needs it. And with being able to shut Trump's mic off the debate would be better.

Trump should not chicken out of this one. He is a such a pussy. Remember when you guys thought Biden would be the one to not attend? Turns out it is going to be Trump.

Virtual? Nah, that's stupid.

Quite fortuitous circumstances for the Debate Commission in revising their format, I have to say.

COVID grants perfect pretense to enforce a format that separates the two candidates into a virtual landscape, introducing (more like necessitating) the ability to cut off the mic of the other in order to work. Clever I must say, this way mitigates the ability for Trump, the GOP and their minions to bitch bias at the moderator's discretion to mute the microphone as it can simply be laid intrinsic to the format.

@LJS9502_basic: Of course he chickened out. Without being able to interrupt he'd have to stand on his job performance and his lack of vision.

Yup, this strips him of all strategy. He'd actually have to focus on substance and his record instead of intimidation and bullying. Him refusing was predictable as clockwork. Typical of a bully....put them on equal footing, and they show themselves to be the cowards they truly are and refuse.

I look forward to seeing Biden rip Trump a new one for 90 minutes on his own. That is if Trump doesn't 180 as he usually does and comes to agree.

@eoten: Biden wants a virtual debate so people can feed him answers to questions. Last I checked, both sides agreed to three in-person debates. Seems Biden wants to hide in his basement again. What a pussy.

What are you talking about? This is the Debate Commission's dictate, not Biden's, and one that would never had to have been made had your bunker boy idol been able to conduct himself like an actual adult for five seconds. Or, y'know, actually taken precautions against COVID instead of downplaying it and causing himself and the entire Executive branch to become infected? And then throwing a tantrum and blaming everyone and everything else when he must face the consequences of what he's responsible for?

The Trump way.

EDIT: And no, this should NOT be rescheduled. This refusal makes Trump look like he is: weak. Biden should be playing this to the hilt in portraying him as such, by his own faults no less.

Scared he will be muted when he breaks the rules his campaign agreed to?

Also, funny how you guys always thought Biden was gonna chicken out of a debate when Trump ended up doing it.

He doesn't really know what he usually is going on about.