Commission on Presidential Debates cancels Thursday’s second debate

The Commission on Presidential Debates has decided to cancel Thursday’s second round of debates between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, The Wall Street Journal reported.

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The move comes after the president said Thursday that he would not participate in a virtual debate.

The commission previously said it was changing the format of the second debate after Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, the newspaper reported.

The second debate originally was going to be held in a town hall format in Miami.

The Wall Street Journal, quoting an anonymous source “familiar with the matter,” said the debate was canceled after the two sides could not agree on a date and format. The president’s team wanted the two remaining dates to be pushed back, while Biden’s campaign objected to moving the dates.

“It is now apparent there will be no debate on Oct. 15, and the CPD will turn its attention to preparations for the final presidential debate scheduled for Oct. 22,” the Commission on Presidential Debates said in a news release.

The two candidates have agreed to appear at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, for a debate on Oct. 22, the commission said. That will be a traditional standup debate, similar to the Sept. 29 meeting between Trump and Biden.

ABC News announced plans Thursday to host a town hall with Joe Biden on Thursday. The town hall will be moderated by the news network’s chief anchor, George Stephanopoulos.

That announcement came after Trump said he wouldn’t “waste (his) time” on a virtual presidential debate.

The president said in a tweet on Friday that he would be in Sanford, Florida, for a “very big rally.”

There will not be a debate Oct. 29, which had been requested by the president’s campaign, The Washington Post reported.

Cox Media Group