The move comes one day after the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced the debate would be held virtually, following the president's diagnosis of and hospitalization for the novel coronavirus.

Trump 2020 communications director Tim Murtaugh slammed the "biased commission" for canceling the Oct 15 debate, saying "there's no medical reason to stop it".

Trump is also expected to host an event at the White House on Saturday, the first day his doctor cleared him to participate in "public engagements," and a rally in Sanford, Florida, on Monday.

Both candidates have agreed to participate in the next debate on October 22.