Trump Campaign Team Pushes for In-Person Debate After Refusal to Virtual Format

President Donald Trump's campaign team and the White House are pushing for an in-person debate against Joe Biden after Trump declined to participate in a virtual format.

According to CNN, the latest efforts for an in-person debate came from senior Trump campaign surrogates and West Wing staff on Sunday.

As said in one of our previous reports, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) canceled the in-person debate after Trump announced his diagnosis. But Trump believed the format was a "waste of time," so he wouldn't participate. 

With that, the CPD decided to drive its efforts toward the final presidential debate on October 22.

The commission said both candidates agreed earlier to participate in the in-person debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. The final debate will be moderated by NBC News' Kristen Welker.

But now, Trump was cleared by his doctors to resume public engagements and regular activity after his COVID-19 diagnosis.

White House deputy communications director Brian Morgenstern said the president is "ready to debate" and that he was cleared to take part in public engagements.

As Morgenstern pointed out, Trump's doctors found that he was no longer at risk for transmission. With that, he believes it "would be nice" if the CPD allow the presidential to get back on track.

The CPD did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment on Sunday.

Standing on the Stage

Eric Trump, the president's son, also wanted to reschedule the in-person presidential debate. He said on ABC's "This Week" that his father wants to "stand on the stage with his opponent."

He said his father just wants to look his opponent in the eye and say his arguments face-to-face. "My father doesn't want to do it over a glorified conference call," he said.

He also said he and his family will be "happy to wear a mask" when they come to the in-person event if the commission permits it.

Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump also praised the president for refusing the virtual debate. She told FOX News on Sunday that if a virtual event were to take place, it would be "an absolute disaster."

In rebuttal, Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfiled said on Sunday that they can't let Trump to "whipsaw around at the last second trying to rewrite the rules."

She stressed that not one candidate can "set the calendar" of the debate. It is under the CPD's discretion to set those schedules.

"We all agreed to these debates back in June, and we're not going to let him try to rewrite the rules at the last second," she said.

Why It Matters

The Trump campaign's push for an in-person debate shows the risk of Trump's refusal to participate in the virtual debate.

His numbers are trailing in national polls and a number of key swing states with less than four weeks until Election Day.

He is slowly coming back to his regular campaigning activities since his diagnosis, starting it by facing Latino and Black supporters in his first public event on Saturday.

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