The Commission on Presidential Debates said on Thursday that the next debate between President Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr. would be held virtually because of health concerns about the coronavirus.

But President Trump immediately dismissed the idea, declaring that he would not participate and calling the idea of a remote debate “ridiculous”.

The high-stakes standoff between Trump and the debate organisers emerged on Thursday morning, after the commission, with no warning to campaign representatives, said the October 15 debate would feature candidates debating remotely “in order to protect the health and safety of all involved”.

But Trump, who tested positive last week for the coronavirus, immediately objected to the concept in a television interview, saying: “I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate, that’s not what debating is all about. You sit behind a computer and do a debate — it’s ridiculous.”

“That’s not acceptable to us,” Trump told the anchor Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business of the virtual debate format. “I’m not going to do a virtual debate.”

Trump said he only learned of the debate commission’s decision on Thursday morning, minutes before he got on the phone for an interview. He accused the commission of “trying to protect Biden”.

Biden’s campaign issued a more receptive statement on Thursday. “Vice-President Biden looks forward to speaking directly to the American people,” said Kate Bedingfield, a Biden deputy campaign manager.

A virtual debate might seem like a technological marvel of the Zoom-heavy pandemic era, but there is a precedent dating back 60 years to the dawn of mass media campaigns.

In 1960, the third debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon was held remotely. Kennedy debated from a television studio in New York; Nixon appeared from Los Angeles.

A split-screen camera feed allowed viewers to watch both candidates simultaneously.

New York Times News Service