Democratic challenger Joe Biden has said he would be opposed to debating Donald Trump next week as scheduled if the US president is still sick with COVID-19, saying he would want to follow health guidelines.
"I'm looking forward to being able to debate him, but I just hope all the protocols are followed," Mr Biden, 77, told reporters on Tuesday as he returned from a speech near the Civil War battlefield site in Gettysburg.
Mr Trump, 74, announced early on Friday that he had tested positive for the virus, two days after his first debate with Mr Biden in Cleveland.
The men are scheduled to square off again on October 15. But Mr Biden said, "If he still has COVID, we shouldn't have a debate".
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines say people who test positive for the virus should stay home for at least 10 days after symptoms first appear, while people who become severely ill might need to stay home for up to 20 days.
"It's a very serious problem, so I will be guided by... what the doctors say is the right thing to do," Mr Biden said.
Mr Trump has given no indication he would bow out due to his health, saying in a tweet that he is "looking forward" to the next debate.
The president has been accused by his critics of downplaying the severity of the virus and endangering White House and Secret Service staff by not wearing a mask and doing a drive-by of supporters outside the Walter Reed Medical Centre.
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