By Chris Megerian
By Chris Megerian Los Angeles Times President Donald Trump rejected the idea of remotely debating former Vice President Joe Biden, shortly after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Thursday that the next event would be held virtually. “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about,” Trump said to Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business. Trump’s decision comes as questions continue to swirl about his health and how long he will remain infectious with COVID-19. The debate, scheduled for Oct.15, would be held with Trump and Biden in separate locations “in order to protect the health and safety of all involved with the second presidential debate,” the commission said. Biden accepted the idea of a virtual debate shortly after Trump turned down the idea. “Vice President Biden looks forward to speaking directly to the American people and comparing his plan for bringing the country together and building back better with Donald Trump’s failed leadership on the coronavirus that has thrown the strong economy he inherited into the worst downturn since the Great Depression,” Biden campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said. Bill Stepien, Trump’s campaign manager, said there was no reason to hold the event virtually because the president “will have posted multiple negative tests prior to the debate.
