Will there be a second presidential debate? Following the first debate, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his team said they were committed to participating in the remaining two presidential debates.
Now the Democratic Party is considering dropping out of the second debate.
Biden says he and President Donald Trump “shouldn’t have a debate” as long as the president remains positive for the coronavirus, which typically takes 15 or so days.
Biden said Tuesday that he’s “looking forward to being able to debate him” but said “we’re going to have to follow very strict guidelines.”
He says he doesn’t know Trump’s status since the president returned to the White House after being hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for three days after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Biden told reporters while boarding his plane back to Delaware in Hagerstown, Maryland: “I think if he still has COVID, then we shouldn’t have a debate.”
“I think we’re gonna have to follow very strict guidelines. Too many people have been infected and it’s a very serious problem,” Biden said. “And so I’ll be guided by the guidelines of the Cleveland Clinic, and what the docs say is the right thing to do — if and when he shows up for debate.”
The Republican mayor of Miami also said Trump shouldn’t come to his city if he’s still actively infected with COVID.
“I don’t think it’s safe, not for him and anybody else, anywhere or anyone he interacts with,” Mayor Francis Suarez, R-F.L., told Politico.
“Remember, this thing is highly contagious. How many people are infected in his inner circle, in the White House, senators, et cetera?”
The next debate is scheduled for Oct. 15, with a third debate slated for Oct. 22.
Biden’s campaign says he tested negative for COVID-19 earlier Tuesday.
On the campaign trail, Trump is still recovering from the coronavirus at the White House. He announced Tuesday that he had instructed his aides to abandon COVID-19 relief talks with congressional Democrats until after the Nov. 3 election.
The president’s doctor said Trump has reported no symptoms of the disease on Wednesday, but likely remains contagious.
Biden campaigned in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.
Trump said Tuesday he was looking forward to the debate —
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
The Associated Press contributed to this article