The Oct. 15 debate in Miami is now canceled, according to Commission on Presidential Debates co-chairman Frank J. Fahrenkopf, because the Joe Biden campaign has moved to schedule an ABC News town hall on that date.
"There's a new development that's just happened, Martha, I heard from someone a few hours ago from the campaign of Mr. Biden saying, 'Well, Thursday they've got other plans," Fahrenkopf told Fox News' "The Story" with Martha MacCallum.
He added the Biden campaign has informed the commission they do intend to debate President Donald Trump in person in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 22, but that would be the final date for any debates before the election.
"They said they planned to be there, and they will be there for a regular debate as scheduled, which would be a replica of what happened in Cleveland, or if the Trump campaign wanted to do a town hall meeting, they would be willing to do a town hall meeting in Nashville," Fahrenkopf said.
The commission, however, will not bend on its new requirement the Cleveland Clinic independently conduct the coronavirus testing for both campaigns.
Fahrenkopf, who said he did not confer with either campaign on past debate changes, said he did pass this Nashville final debate deal on to "the president's people, and we'll wait to see what happens."
Fahrenkopf, who is one of three co-chairs of the commission, which includes 10 board members, expressed some anxiety for the loss of past agreement by both campaigns for three presidential debates.
He added the Biden campaign has made clear "for about a month or so, the Nashville debate was going to be the last debate."
"That had their campaign planned and they would not have a postponement or anything past that [Nashville] debate," he said, making a call for the Trump campaign to now get together with the Biden campaign for an agreement on a third debate.
"It takes two to tango and two to debate," Fahrenkopf concluded.
Biden moved quickly to make sure he would still appear in front of a television audience next week. Instead of debating Trump on Thursday, he will take part in a town hall sponsored by ABC News.
As he campaigned in Arizona on Thursday, Biden said he would also attend the Oct. 22 debate, currently scheduled for Nashville, Tennessee, regardless of Trump's plans.
"We agreed to three debates back in the summer," Biden said. "I'm showing up. I'll be there. And if, in fact, he shows up, fine. If he doesn't, fine."
Amid myriad criticism for changing the debate rules, without consulting the campaigns, Fahrenkopf said that is the commission's protocol. Also, Fahrenkopf, said the move to make the Miami, Oct. 15 debate virtual was made earlier this week, but was not announced to either campaign until the conclusion of the vice presidential debate Wednesday night.
"We made the decision [Tuesday], but we didn't want to put it out [Wednesday] – or the day before yesterday – because it would have taken over the news and therefore what happened with the debate would have been overshadowed," Fahrenkopf told MacCallum.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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