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Second presidential debate between President Trump, Joe Biden cancelled

Third debate on Oct. 22 is still on

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2020, file photo President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, right, participate in the first presidential debate with moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News, center, Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic, in Cleveland, Ohio. Even before Trump's hospitalization, Republicans were growing increasingly concerned about the direction of the election. Trump's allies were particularly worried that his troubling debate performance on Tuesday might further alienate key groups of swing voters: women and college-educated voters, among them. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) (Patrick Semansky, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The second presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden is officially off.

The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates confirmed Friday that the Oct. 15 faceoff would be scrapped. The decision was made a day after the commission announced the debate would take place “virtually” because Trump had contracted the coronavirus.

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Trump balked at holding the debate in that format, and Biden scheduled a town hall with ABC News for that night once Trump said he would not participate.

Trump’s team later countered with a call to hold the debates as scheduled once the president’s doctor said he would be cleared to hold public events beginning on Saturday.

But the commission said it would not reverse its decision not to have the candidates on stage together, citing an abundance of caution with health concerns -- particularly for the town-hall-style debate that was set to feature questions from average voters.

The third debate, scheduled for Oct. 22 in Nashville, Tennessee, is still on.


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