In totally normal and not unprecedented news, NBC News will be hosting a one-hour town hall with President Donald Trump on Thursday, October 15, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., “after Trump produced a COVID-19 test showing he is not contagious.” The one-hour outdoor event in Miami, Florida, will be anchored by Today host Savannah Guthrie. NBC says that Trump’s medical data has been cleared by Dr. Anthony Fauci and National Institute of Health clinical director Dr. Clifford Lane “with a high degree of confidence.” Guthrie and the president will be at least 12 feet apart and the audience of Florida voters will be socially distanced and required to wear face masks. The town hall comes as the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis (and refusal to debate virtually) disrupted the presidential debate schedule. The second debate between Trump and former vice-president Joe Biden was set for October 15, but the event was canceled on October 9, following Trump’s illness and hospitalization. The Commission on Presidential Debates initially moved the town-hall-style debate, which was set to be moderated by C-Span’s Steve Scully, to a virtual event. With a virtual debate out of the question for the president, who feared that “they cut you off whenever they want,” Biden set a town hall on ABC News from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., moderated by Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos. It will also be streamed online. The final presidential debate is still set for October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee, moderated by NBC’s Kristen Welker.
