ABC News will host a town hall with Joe Biden next Thursday following Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the second presidential debate.
The newly announced town hall, which will be hosted by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, will take place in Philadelphia. Additional details about timing and location are expected at a later date.
“Less than a month from Election Day, this town hall will allow voters the opportunity to ask the former vice president the questions most important to them,” the network said in a press release on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, President Trump said he would not be participating in the second debate with Biden, which was set to be a town hall-style event on Oct. 15, after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the event would be conducted virtually “to protect the health and safety of all involved.”
“I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate,” Trump, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, told Fox Business in a Thursday morning interview.
Shortly after, the Biden campaign announced plans to still hold a town hall with the Democratic nominee in spite of Trump’s decision to not participate.
“Donald Trump clearly does not want to face questions from the voters about his failures on COVID and the economy,” Kate Bedingfield, the deputy campaign manager for the Biden campaign, said in a statement.