Former President Donald J. Trump expressed his willingness to include independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the upcoming debates with President Biden. However, Biden’s team has made it clear that this is not an option. Trump stated that as long as Kennedy met the criteria set by CNN and ABC News, the networks hosting the debates, he would not object to having him participate.
Biden’s campaign stipulated that the debates should only involve Biden and Trump. While both candidates agreed to participate in two debates on June 27 and September 10, the terms are still being negotiated.
In a social media post, Trump taunted Biden about the potential inclusion of Kennedy, claiming that Kennedy was more intelligent than Biden. A spokesman for Biden’s campaign referred to a statement from Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign chair, accusing Trump of playing games with debates.
Kennedy vowed to qualify for the upcoming debates and expressed frustration at the possibility of being excluded. CNN and ABC News have set criteria requiring participants to have at least 15% support in approved national polls and to be on the ballot in enough states to have a chance at winning the presidency.
Kennedy currently meets the 15% threshold in two national polls and is on the ballot in six states. His campaign is working to secure ballot access in all 50 states, despite expected legal challenges from Democrats aligned with Biden.
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