First Presidential Debate Venue Changed Over CCP Virus Concerns

President Donald Trump (L) boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Md., on July 15, 2020. On right, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks in Dunmore, Pa., on July 9, 2020. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images; Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The venue for the first U.S. presidential debate was changed on July 27 after the University of Notre Dame withdrew as the host site over concerns related to the CCP virus. Case Western University in Cleveland announced it will host the Sept. 29 event instead.

Notre Dame President John Jenkins said in a statement that “the constraints the coronavirus pandemic put on the event—as understandable and necessary as they are—have led us to withdraw.