Former President Donald Trump criticized the Biden campaign for not wanting independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to participate in the upcoming debates between Trump and President Biden. The two debates are tentatively scheduled for June 27 hosted by CNN and in September hosted by ABC News. The Biden team has specified that they do not want any third-party candidates in the debates.
Trump claimed that Biden does not want Kennedy in the debates because he is to the far left of Biden and they would be debating over similar topics such as open borders and environmental policies. Trump also stated that Kennedy is sharper and more intelligent than Biden, making for a challenging debate. To qualify for the debates, candidates must poll at least 15% in select surveys and be on the ballot in enough states to reach the necessary electoral votes.
Kennedy, who is 70 years old, has polled as high as 16% in recent surveys and is aiming to be on the ballot in all 50 states. Trump dismissed Kennedy as “not a serious candidate” earlier this month and did not respond to Kennedy’s proposal for a head-to-head debate at the Libertarian Party’s national convention. Despite Trump’s dismissive attitude towards Kennedy, the independent candidate expressed disappointment at being left out of the upcoming debates between Trump and Biden.
Kennedy accused Trump and Biden of colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that most Americans do not want. Kennedy believes that excluding viable candidates like himself from the debates undermines democracy, especially since a large percentage of Americans identify as independents. Kennedy’s team claims to have access to 187 electoral votes and is working towards fulfilling the requirements to participate in the debates.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to the criticism regarding the exclusion of Kennedy from the debates. Trump and Kennedy continue to engage in a public debate over Kennedy’s qualifications, polling numbers, and potential impact on the debates. As the debates between Trump and Biden draw closer, the issue of third-party candidates like Kennedy being excluded from the conversation remains a contentious topic in the political landscape.
