Staff Reports
Former President Donald Trump has shared that he wouldn’t mind sharing the debate stage with independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as long as he meets the qualifications. Mr. Trump expressed that although Mr. Kennedy’s poll numbers have been declining, he would be open to having him join the debate, emphasizing that he is not opposed to it.
Trump says he wants RFK Jr. to join him and Biden on debate stage if he qualifieshttps://t.co/jBtyTCEEun pic.twitter.com/LdTAtSzk9y
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) May 16, 2024
After President Biden expressed his willingness to debate Mr. Trump, the two campaigns quickly arranged for debates to take place. These debates are scheduled to be hosted by CNN on June 27 and by ABC on September 10.
Mr. Kennedy expressed on social media that the two main candidates, Trump and Biden, were working together to exclude him from the presidential race. He claimed that they were colluding to prevent him from joining the debate stage because they feared he could win. Mr. Kennedy stated that excluding viable candidates from the debate stage undermines democracy and allows the main candidates to avoid discussing their past failures.
CNN has outlined the qualifications for its debate, which include meeting a certain threshold in national polls and appearing on enough ballots to potentially win the presidency. Mr. Trump accused Mr. Biden of not wanting Mr. Kennedy in the debates because they may have differing viewpoints and Mr. Kennedy is sharper and more intelligent than the president, according to Mr. Trump.
Mr. Kennedy, a Democrat-turned-independent, has been working to get on the presidential ballot in all 50 states. While he has secured a spot on the ballot in several states and has garnered support in the double digits in national polls, he has not reached the required 15% support needed to qualify for the debates.
