US ELECTIONS: Trump chickens out of the next Presidential Debate

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Following President Donald Trump's diagnosis of COVID-19 last week, the Commission on Presidential Debates had determined that the upcoming debate should be conducted virtually.

On Thursday morning, Trump called into Fox Business to speak with Maria Bartiromo about his coronavirus symptoms, quarantine, and his upcoming debate with Joe Biden, which is scheduled for October 15.

Asked by Fox News' Sean Hannity last night if he'd tested negative for coronavirus yet, President Trump refused to answer, telling Hannity instead, "I took this Regeneron, it's phenomenal".

Trump continued, "And I'm going to have it delivered to every hospital- we have sick people with the COVID, or the China virus as we call it, and we're going to make people better".

Incumbent Vice President Mike Pence, Trump's Republican running mate, was set to square off with California Senator Kamala Harris, Biden's Democratic running mate, in the vice presidential debate on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Salt Lake City.

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The Biden campaign initially said that Joe would be happy to take part in a virtual debate, but after learning of Trump's refusal to participate they released a second statement saying that Biden "will find an appropriate place to take questions from voters directly on October 15th, as he has done on several occasions in recent weeks".

The debate commission said in a statement: "The second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which the candidates would participate from separate remote locations". "That's not acceptable to us". "It's ridiculous, and then they cut you off whenever they want".

"And then they cut you off whenever they want", complained Trump, who rendered the first presidential debate almost unwatchable with constant interruptions. The commission cited health concerns following Mr Trump's infection as the reason for the change. Biden's campaign website argues that the ACA has assuaged more than 100 million people who "no longer have to worry that an insurance company will deny coverage or charge higher premiums just because they have a pre-existing condition".

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The president's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, said Mr Trump would stage a rally rather than debate next Thursday, though it is not yet clear if he will be well enough to do that. "You sit behind a computer and do a debate", he told Fox Business correspondent Maria Bartiromo on Thursday.