Bill Stepien, President Donald Trump's campaign manager, said Thursday that the candidate would appear at a rally rather than participate in a virtual debate with Democrat rival Joe Biden next week.
"We'll pass on this sad excuse to bail out Joe Biden and do a rally instead," Stepien said in a statement.
"For the swamp creatures at the Presidential Debate Commission to now rush to Joe Biden's defense by unilaterally canceling an in-person debate is pathetic. That's not what debates are about or how they're done," he added.
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced earlier Thursday that the Oct. 15 debate format was switching to a virtual contest because of concerns about Trump's COVID-19 infection.
Stepien rejected the concerns, insisting that "President Trump will have posted multiple negative tests prior to the debate, so there is no need for this unilateral declaration."
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