President Biden responded with a smile when asked about the possibility of debating former President Donald Trump a third time, and possibly even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy Jr. later announced on social media that he would be meeting the criteria to participate in a debate before the June 20 deadline and looked forward to holding both Biden and Trump accountable for their records in Atlanta on June 27. Trump had urged Biden to follow through with the debate promise and said he was ready to go anywhere for the debate.
During a meeting with reporters at the Joint Chiefs Combatant Commander’s Meeting, Biden was asked by White House correspondent Peter Doocy about Trump’s willingness to do a third debate. Biden responded with a smile and a three-word answer when asked if he would debate a third time. He also expressed that he was looking forward to the debates. Biden and Trump had already solidified plans to face off in debates in June and September. Trump had given an open invitation to debate anytime, anywhere, and Biden responded by telling Trump to “make my day” in a video shared on social media.
Biden’s campaign sent a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates outlining some critical limits for any debate with Trump. These demands included not having an audience to benefit American voters watching on TV, limiting raucous or disruptive behavior, muting microphones after time expires, restricting the number of media outlets hosting a debate, and not allowing third-party candidates like RFK Jr. to participate. RFK Jr. criticized this requirement, accusing both Trump and Biden of colluding to exclude him from the debate stage, which he believed undermined democracy.
Kennedy’s announcement about meeting the criteria for the debate came after Biden’s campaign placed limitations on the debate with Trump. These restrictions included no audience, muted microphones, limited media outlets hosting the debate, and excluding third-party candidates like RFK Jr. Kennedy condemned these requirements, accusing Trump and Biden of colluding to block viable candidates from the debate stage. Trump and Biden were allegedly trying to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that most Americans did not want, according to Kennedy.
Overall, President Biden and former President Trump had agreed to face off in debates in June and September. Kennedy Jr. also announced his intention to meet the criteria for a debate before the June 20 deadline to hold both Biden and Trump accountable for their records. However, Biden’s campaign had placed several restrictions on the debate with Trump, including no audience, muted microphones, limits on media outlets hosting the debate, and exclusion of third-party candidates like RFK Jr. Kennedy criticized these requirements, accusing Trump and Biden of colluding to exclude viable candidates from the debate stage and undermining democracy.
