Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the first presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 29. Photo: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images
The Commission on Presidential Debates on Friday canceled the second debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden after Trump, and then Biden, backed out of the event on Thursday.
Why it matters: Trump first refused to attend the Oct. 15 debate after the commission announced that it would be held virtually, and Biden indicated that that he too would skip it if Trump would not show.
The big picture: Biden will appear at a town hall event hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia that day, the network announced Thursday.
- The third debate is scheduled for Oct. 22. The commission said Friday both men have said they'll attend.
What they're saying: "The campaigns of the two candidates who qualified for participation in the debate made a series of statements concerning their respective positions regarding their willingness to participate in a virtual debate on October 15, and each now has announced alternate plans for that date," the commission said.
- "Vice President Biden looks forward to making his case to the American people about how to overcome this pandemic, restore American leadership and our alliances in the world, and bring the American people together," Andrew Bates, rapid response director for the Biden campaign said.
- "This debate commission, you know, it sounds so good, the Presidential Commission on Debates. So wonderful," Trump said on the Mark Levin Show on Friday. "No, in my opinion, it's a crooked deal."