2nd and 3rd debates in doubt as Trump-Biden fight over details

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — Even before President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis there were questions about whether there would be a second presidential debate. Trump answered that question Thursday morning when he refused to participate in a virtual format and now, that has raised doubts about the third and final debate.

"I'm not going to waste my time on a virtual debate," Trump told Fox Business. "That's not what debating's all about. You sit behind a computer and do a debate—it's ridiculous. And then they cut you off whenever they want."

Trump's statement came moments after the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced the format change to daapt to Trump testing positive for coronavirus. It was aimed at protecting "the health and safety of all involved," the CPD explained. The plan was to have both candidates participate from separate remote locations. C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully was scheduled to moderate from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.

Over the course of the day, both the Trump and Biden campaigns issued statements offering to postpone the debate one week until Thursday, Oct. 22, the date of the third debate.

Arguing a virtual debate would "be a gift to Biden," Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien called for the second debate to be held next Thursday and the third debate to be rescheduled for Oct. 29, five days before Election Day. "The American people should not be deprived of the chance to see the two candidates for president debate face to face two more times," Stepien wrote.

Biden campaign manager Kate Bedingfield rejected the Trump campaign's proposal to shift the third debate. "Trump's erratic behavior does not allow him to rewrite the calendar, and pick new dates of his choosing," Bedingfield said in a statement. She argued that both campaigns had already agreed to the three dates (Sept. 29, Oct. 15 and Oct. 29). Biden plans to take questions at a town hall hosted by ABC News on Oct. 15 in lieu of the scheduled debate. He will be on call for the third debate the following week.

"Donald Trump can show up, or he can decline again. That's his choice," Bedingfield wrote.

MEDICAL CLEARANCE

The Biden team previously emphasized that "all necessary precautions" should be taken during the debate after Trump and more than 30 individuals in and around the White House contracted COVID-19.

Even while undergoing serious medical treatment, Trump was still pushing for a live debate. During his appearance on Fox Business Thursday morning, Trump said he felt better and confirmed plans to hold a rally next Thursday. "I'd love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night," Trump said. "But I think I'm better."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person with COVID-19 can be considered safe to be around people 10 days after symptoms first appeared and after 24 hours with no fever, as long as other symptoms are improving. People with more severe infections may need to be quarantined for up to 20 days.

President Trump's physician Dr. Sean Conley reported Wednesday that the president had no COVID symptoms and had not had a fever in over four days. Trump has been taking dexamethasone, a corticosteroid typically used on seriously ill patients, and he was given his final dose of Remdesivir Tuesday. Under the best circumstances, Trump could potentially be cleared by doctors as soon as Monday but there are many details about his condition that have not been reported.

Stepien, who was also diagnosed with COVID-19 last week, wrote Thursday that Trump "will have posted multiple negative tests prior to the debate," insisting that the "safety of all involved can easily be achieved" with an in-person debate.

WHO BENEFITS FROM FEWER DEBATES?

After the first debate, where the candidates spent more time interrupting one another than answering questions, it seemed like neither President Trump or former Vice President Biden could benefit from a second round.

Despite claiming to dominate the stage, Trump saw a sharp drop in national polls following that performance. The RealClearPolitics average shows Trump nearly 10 points behind Biden. Meanwhile, the former vice president hauled in a record $10 million in the hours after the debate aired.

With Biden apparently on a path toward victory, he doesn't need any more debates, said Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University's Baker Institute.

"Donald Trump needs every opportunity to change the trajectory of the campaign," Jones said. "At this point, Trump desperately needs some misstep by Biden and a debate is going to be one of the few places where Biden is going to be vulnerable because everything else is so heavily controlled and orchestrated."

The Biden campaign has made an effort throughout the election season to limit unscripted interactions with the former vice president who has described himself as a "gaffe machine." He has repeatedly relied on a teleprompter for campaign events and has been accused of giving supporters scripted questions to ask. The vice president mostly avoided any serious slip-ups at the first debate, aside from losing his temper at Trump after repeated interruptions.

"I suspect the Biden campaign would be happy if he never had to debate again," Jones continued, noting it's one less opportunity for an election-changing event.

The timeframe for Biden to slip up or for Trump to force an error is closing quickly. At least 6 million ballots have already been cast around the country and less than 5% of voters are still undecided.

Republican strategist Ford O'Connell argued that a lot can still happen in the 26 days before the election. That's why the Trump campaign is pushing for three in-person debates and why, earlier in the season, it requested four.

"Trump wants the American people to see Biden as much as possible," O'Connell said. "The Biden team, because they have a leg-up currently in the polls, know that the more time you subject yourself to that scrutiny, the more chance for a screwup, where Trump has very little to lose by trying different things," O'Connell said.

It's still unclear whether the president would actually benefit from more debates or more in-person campaign events. A majority of Americans said they found the first debate annoying and few described it as informative. Most Americans also reported that they wanted candidates to stop in-person campaigning because of the pandemic.

Moe Vela, a former senior adviser to Biden, argued that the die has been cast in the election and there is nothing the president can change through another debate.

"Whether it's three debates or two debates, virtually or in-person, it's not going to matter because it doesn't change the reality that they have an indefensible record," Vela said.

Both campaigns have pointed fingers at the other claiming their opponent was trying to avoid a debate. Stepien described a virtual debate as a "sad excuse to bail out Joe Biden."

The Biden camp and several Democrats faulted the president for being a "coward" by backing out of the virtual debate. Bedingfield argued he was trying to "evade accountability."