Trump, Biden to Hold Own Town Hall Events Instead of Debate

By Dana Cruz Oct 14 2020, 01:02 AM EDT

A combination picture shows U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during the first 2020 presidential campaign debate, in Cleveland — FILE PHOTO: A combination picture shows U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaking during the first 2020 presidential campaign debate. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden have lined up separate town hall events instead of holding a second presidential debate.

Trump's town hall is not yet confirmed, but it will take place outdoors in Miami, said Vox. According to CNN, the event will be moderated by "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie.

Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump event is still in the works but will reportedly be hosted by NBC.On the other hand, Biden will hold his town hall in Philadelphia. It will take place at the time of the supposed debate and will be hosted by ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

Biden's town hall will be held in person, in compliance with health regulations and guidelines, from 8 to 9:30 p.m. ET.

With dueling events, competition between the candidates and network viewership will surely start. But the format is not fresh news for the candidates.

Stephanopoulos hosted a Trump town hall on September 15, and Biden held several town hall discussions with undecided voters recently.

There are no further details on the Trump town hall yet. The Trump campaign had not yet responded to requests for comment on their plans. But Trump is set to hold a rally in North Carolina on Thursday afternoon. This leaves a possible public event or forum later that day.

COVID-19 Concerns

There are some safety concerns when it comes to holding these live events amid the pandemic. The presidential debate itself was thrown off its course because of the president's COVID-19 diagnosis.

When the news came, it was just three days after the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden in Cleveland, Ohio.

The second debate was also canceled because president Trump refused to participate in a virtual debate. His campaign team insisted on an in-person debate as his son Eric Trump called a virtual showdown a "glorified conference call."

"I think there's plans underway for us to have a similar public town hall event Thursday night," said Pence.

He added that it would be "much better" if the candidates were both on stage talking about key issues that the country faces.

"I think Joe Biden is doing the same, but how much better would it be if they were both on the stage, both taking the tough questions from people like you?" he noted.

Other than the president's diagnosis, the White House's COVID-19 outbreak also raised some concerns in holding more in-person campaign events, said The Hill.

Not Going Virtual

Trump and his team have made it clear that they are against a virtual debate. They believe letting this happen will allow Biden to receive outside help during the debate.

Campaign manager Bill Stepien believed shifting the debate to a virtual format was a "sad excuse to bail out Joe Biden." With that, they decided to hold a rally instead.

In response, the Biden team said their candidate wouldn't attend the debate if Trump refuses to do so.

So now, the Commission on Presidential Debates decided to focus its efforts on the final presidential debate. It will happen on October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee.