Why wouldnt Trump debate?
He didn't last time, he just sabotaged the debate out of fear.
I think he thought he could get Biden to make a gaffe, when the opposite actually occurred. And his embrace of racists has cost him any opportunity to capture suburban votes on police issues. I really don't see how he can put that back in the bottle now, esp given his blatant lies on covid, and his personal irresponsibility that not only caused him to get it but it caused him to infect numbers of people the WH and CDC can't even count.
And meanwhile Pelosi again offered to lower her $ figure for a relief bill, and the Senate simply chose to ignore it while planning to vote in Hazmat suits for Barret, whose nomination actually led to the superspreader event.