JUDY WOODRUFF: To debate or
not to debate, in-person or
not in-person. Those questions

dominated the U.S. presidential
campaign this day. President
Trump insisted he won't agree

to a virtual encounter
online, and Joe Biden balked
at delaying their debate.

It all came a day after their
running mates faced off.

Amna Nawaz begins our coverage.

AMNA NAWAZ: With 26 days until
Election Day, the Democratic
ticket headed to Arizona, where

former Vice President
Joe Biden took a moment
to hail Senator Kamala
Harris' debate performance

the night before.

JOE BIDEN (D), Presidential
Candidate: This is one of the
finest persons I have ever dealt

with. This is a person who
is ready on day one to be the
president of the United States

of America.

This is a person who has more
integrity in their little
finger than most people have

in their whole body. And the
idea -- it's obvious he cannot
-- he has great difficulty

dealing with strong women.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, back
in Washington, President Trump
threw next week's debate with

Biden into turmoil.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the
United States: No, I'm not going
to waste my time on a virtual

debate. That's not what debating
is all about, you sit behind
a computer and do a debate.

It's ridiculous.

AMNA NAWAZ: First refusing
to take part after
the Debate Commission
this morning announced

a virtual format to -- quote
-- "protect the health and
safety of all involved," later

agreeing with a Biden campaign
suggestion that the debate
be delayed one week, so it

could still be held in-person.

In a statement, Trump campaign
manager Bill Stepien said --
quote -- "We agree that this

should happen on October
22, and, accordingly,
the third debate should
then be shifted back

one week to October 29."

Biden campaign manager Kate
Bedingfield fired back, writing:
"Trump's erratic behavior does

not allow him to rewrite the
calendar," and insisting the
final debate remain on October

22. "Donald Trump can show
up," Bedingfield said,
"or he can decline again."

JOE BIDEN: We set the dates.
I'm sticking with the dates.
I'm showing up. I will be

there. And, in fact, if he shows
up, fine. If he doesn't, fine.

AMNA NAWAZ: In another
scheduling shift, this
afternoon, ABC News
announced it would host

a Biden town hall in
Philadelphia on October
15, now that the
president had backed out

of that night's debate.

The back-and-forth on debate
planning comes after an intense
back-and-forth between the

vice presidential
candidates last night.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), Vice
Presidential Candidate: No, I
-- no, but, Susan, I -- this

is important...

MIKE PENCE, Vice President
of the United States: Susan,
I have to weigh in here.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: Mr. Vice
President, I'm speaking.

MIKE PENCE: I have to weigh in.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS:
I'm speaking.

AMNA NAWAZ: In a debate
dominated by the pandemic,
Senator Harris slammed
the White House response,

calling it:

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: The greatest
failure of any presidential
administration in the history

of our country.

I want to ask the American
people, how calm were you when
you were panicked about where

you're going to get your next
roll of toilet paper? How calm
were you when your kids were

sent home from school
and you didn't know
when they could go back?

AMNA NAWAZ: Vice President
Pence, the head of the White
House Coronavirus Task Force,

defended the decision to
not create a federally
coordinated response.

MIKE PENCE: The difference here
is President Trump and I trust
the American people to make

choices in the best
interest of their health.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
consistently talk about
mandates. We're about
freedom and respecting

the freedom of the
American people.

AMNA NAWAZ: In stark contrast to
the first presidential face-off,
peppered with interruptions

and heckling from the president,
Harris and Pence largely
stuck to the issues, and their

campaign messages.

MIKE PENCE: Your Green New
Deal, your massive new mandates,
your Paris Climate Accord, it's

going to kill jobs this time
just like it killed jobs
in the last administration.

SEN. KAMALA HARRIS: I just need
to respond very briefly, please.

Joe Biden believes you measure
the health and the strength
of America's economy based

on the health and the strength
of the American worker and the
American family. On the other

hand, you have Donald Trump,
who measures the strength of
the economy based on how rich

people are doing.

AMNA NAWAZ: Voters from both
sides of the aisle who watched
the debate with us, said

they welcomed the
change in tone.

Who felt better about the way
the debate went tonight? Raise
your hand if you felt better.

But most were unsatisfied
with the candidates' answers.

LORRAINE ZAPATA, Elementary
School Principal: I do feel like
both candidates were dodging

the question.

JAROD MADINGER, Sales
Consultant: We get
it. You all don't like
Trump. We get it. Attack

the points.

AMNA NAWAZ: And they're wary
of what the next presidential
debate could bring.

BRUCE PENUEL, Retired Police
Officer: I hope it doesn't
repeat itself, but, if it does,

I don't see any sense
in continuing to watch.

AMNA NAWAZ: Weighing whether
or not to tune in the next
time the candidates take to the

debate stage.

For the "PBS NewsHour,"
I'm Amna Nawaz.