University of Notre Dame backs out as host of 1st presidential debate due to coronavirus concerns

Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the Democratic Presidential Debate at Tyler Perry Studios November 20, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

One of the hosts of a fall presidential debate has dropped out due to the coronavirus pandemic — again.

The University of Notre Dame on Monday announced it will no longer host the first presidential debate scheduled to take place on Sept. 29. Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins described this as a "difficult decision" that was made "because the necessary health precautions would have greatly diminished the educational value of hosting the debate on our campus."

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This is the second time that a debate host has pulled out due to COVID-19 concerns, The Associated Press notes. Previously, the University of Michigan withdrew from hosting the second debate, with University President Mark Schlissel saying at the time "it is not feasible for us to safely host" it given "the scale and complexity of the work we are undertaking to help assure a safe and healthy fall for our students, faculty and staff and limited visitors." The debate then moved to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.

The third presidential debate, meanwhile, is set to take place at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and the university said last month it's still "fully committed" to hosting.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.