Trump: Virtual Debate is a Waste of Time

Hind Khoudary

News

9th October 2020

Trump: Virtual Debate is a Waste of Time

“I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate.&quot;(Getty)

The Claim

Donald Trump is afraid to debate in the next debate, scheduled for Oct. 15.

News posted on

Emerging story

A claim is circulating after Donald Trump's announcement that he won’t take part in the next debate. Journalists, TV shows, social media users claimed that Donald Trump is afraid of the next debate.

Some claimed that he is too “scared to debate Joe Biden” after his chaotic appearance last week.

Misbar’s Analysis

We at Misbar can't rate the circulating claim as true, false, or even misleading. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he’s looking forward to next week’s debate with former Vice President Joe Biden as scheduled.
He changed his mind after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the October 15 debate between President Trump and former VP Joe Biden will be conducted remotely to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

I am looking forward to the debate on the evening of Thursday, October 15th in Miami. It will be great!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 6, 2020

“I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate,” Trump told Maria Bartiromo in a phone interview this morning. “That is not what a debate is 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 campaign says he will instead hold a rally. There is no evidence that Trump afraid to participate in the debate.

UPDATE: President Trump says he will not participate in the next debate, after a commission made it virtual. Trump's campaign says he will instead hold a rally.

Trump was still contagious for #COVID19 when discharged on Monday. His doctors have not provided an update. pic.twitter.com/F9T3XcDHMb
— AJ+ (@ajplus) October 8, 2020

A third presidential debate is scheduled for Oct. 22 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
Trump's official physician, Navy Cmdr. Dr. Sean Conley, declared that the President would be fit to return to public engagements on Saturday after completing his treatment. In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News on Thursday night, the President declined to say whether he has tested negative even as he said he might try to hold a rally in Florida as soon as Saturday night.
In a statement from the White House, Dr. Conley said Trump had “responded extremely well to treatment” and that “since returning home, his physical exam has remained stable and devoid of any indications to suggest progression of illness”.