“I’m not going to do a virtual debate,” he told Fox Business News, saying this was “not acceptable to us.”
He accused the bipartisan organizers of trying to “protect” his opponent Joe Biden, who won the chaotic first exchange on September 29 by a wide margin, according to most instant polls.
The Biden campaign said the former vice president looked forward to “speaking directly to the American people,” apparently open to the virtual format.
The Commission on Presidential Debates said earlier it was making the change so as to “protect the health and safety of all involved.”
It said the debate would have a town hall structure, with the candidates in remote locations.
Trump tested positive for Covid last week and spent three days in the hospital before returning to the White House on Monday evening.
Even though he was still contagious he dramatically removed his mask upon arriving at the mansion and posed for photographers.
Biden has a comfortable lead over Trump in nationwide polls and in most of the key battleground states ahead of the November 3 election.
In other remarks to Fox, Trump said he sees “really good” odds of reaching a deal with Democrats in Congress on a new round of coronavirus stimulus for the battered US economy.
