Notre Dame on Monday withdrew from hosting a presidential debate scheduled for September 29 due to concerns over COVID-19.
Notre Dame announced: After consultation with Dr. Mark Fox, St. Joseph County deputy health officer, and with the unanimous support of the Executive Committee of the University’s Board of Trustees, Father Jenkins made what he called “this difficult decision because the necessary health precautions would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus.”
“I am grateful to the many members of the University community who have devoted countless hours planning this event, and to the Commission on Presidential Debates leadership for their professionalism and understanding,” said the Rev. John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame, in a statement. “But in the end, the constraints the coronavirus pandemic put on the event — as understandable and necessary as they are — have led us to withdraw.”
The debate will now take place at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.
“We are honored to host this presidential debate at our shared Health Education Campus,” Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic and Case Western Reserve President Barbara Snyder said in a joint statement.
“This pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of health care and scientific discovery in unprecedented ways. To have the presidential candidates discuss these issues in our innovative learning space represents a tremendous opportunity for both institutions — and our entire region,” they said.
Many are now doubting whether Biden will debate President Trump at all.
Biden won’t even sit down for a softball interview with sycophantic Fox News anchor Chris Wallace.
77-year-old Joe Biden also won’t take candid questions from reporters so it’s unlikely he will actually get in the ring with President Trump. We shall see.
