NBC Announces Trump Town Hall to Compete Directly with Biden’s Town Hall on ABC
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NBC News just announced a live town hall event featuring President Donald Trump that will air Thursday, October 15th at 8 PM to be moderated by Savannah Guthrie. This event ostensibly replaces the second presidential debate that has cancelled in the days that followed Trump’s Covid-19 infection and the confusion that followed.
Former Vice President Joe Biden is hosting his own live town hall event with ABC News, to be moderated by George Stephanopoulos, also scheduled for the very same date and time. So American voters eager to find a comparison/contrast between the Republican and Democratic nominee will need to switch back and forth between the two channels.
The second presidential debate was cancelled after President Trump declined to participate in a virtual format, designed to ensure the safety of Biden, moderator Steve Scully and other participants and production staffers.
Those concerns appear to have abated, according to NBC News, who reports having a received a statement from Dr. Clifford Lane, Clinical Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that indicates that he and Dr. Anthony Fauci have reviewed the president’s recent medical data, including a PCR test collected and analyzed by NIH on Oct. 13, and have concluded “with a high degree of confidence” that the president is “not shedding infectious virus.”
There is no Thursday night NFL football game scheduled for October 15th, alas.
Read the full press release from NBC News below:
NBC News will host a live town hall with Republican presidential nominee President Donald Trump, moderated by Savannah Guthrie, in Miami tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT. During the one-hour town hall, Guthrie will moderate a conversation between President Trump and a group of Florida voters on critical issues impacting their vote less than three weeks before Election Day.
The event will take place outdoors at the Perez Art Museum Miami in accordance with guidelines set forth by health officials and consistent with all government regulations. NBC News has been given a statement by Dr. Clifford Lane, Clinical Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), indicating that he and Dr. Anthony Fauci have reviewed the president’s recent medical data, including a PCR test collected and analyzed by NIH on Oct. 13, and have concluded “with a high degree of confidence” that the president is “not shedding infectious virus.”
Both Guthrie and the president will be at least 12 feet apart from both each other and the audience. The audience will also be socially-distanced and required to wear face masks while on the premises, answer a symptoms questionnaire and take a temperature check prior to entering the outdoor venue. Every NBC News staffer will be tested on site on the ground in Miami.
The town hall will follow the same format and will air in the time slot as NBC News’ town hall with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, moderated by Lester Holt, held last Monday, Oct. 5. In addition to airing on NBC, the primetime event will also air across MSNBC and CNBC, stream on NBC News NOW and be available in Spanish on Telemundo’s digital platforms.
