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President Trump, in his first interview since his positive coronavirus test, told Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo on Thursday that he will not participate in the next debate, just minutes after the Commission on Presidential Debates announced the showdown, slated for Oct. 15, will be virtual. The CPD announced early Tuesday that "the second presidential debate will take the form of a town meeting, in which the candidates would participate from separate remote locations." (Singman, 10/8)

The announcement from the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates cited a need “to protect the health and safety of all involved with the second presidential debate.” The candidates will “participate from separate remote locations” while the participants and moderator remain in Miami, it said. The announcement came a week before Biden and Trump were scheduled to face off in Miami. (Miller, 10/8)

Trump and his allies quickly claimed, without evidence, that the commission made the change to favor Biden. A Biden campaign source told NBC News that the debate commission made the decision unilaterally. The commission’s decision came six days after Trump announced that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus. ... Biden said earlier this week that he thought the debate shouldn’t go on if the president was still infected with the coronavirus. (Wilkie, 10/8)

Biden's campaign responded to the announcement with an indication that Biden has no such qualms. "Vice President Biden looks forward to speaking directly to the American people and comparing his plan for bringing the country together and building back better with Donald Trump's failed leadership on the coronavirus that has thrown the strong economy he inherited into the worst downturn since the Great Depression," deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said. (Smith, 10/8)