Donald Trump and Joe Biden agreed to debate each other. They will hold two debates, one in June and one in September. It appears the two rivals—who hate each other deeply—are willing to compromise and hold these debates.
Why are they so willing to put aside long-standing strife to debate? It could be that they fear the influence of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose popularity continues to grow. Kennedy announced he would meet the criteria to appear at the CNN debate. That’s what Joe turned on him.
From Fox News:
President Biden responded with smiles Wednesday, after being asked about debating former President Donald Trump a third time, and possibly even Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Shortly after the president laughed off the possibility of debating RFK Jr., the latter posted on X that he’d be debating both Trump and Biden.
Biden laughed off the possibility that independent candidate Kennedy would end up on the debate stage. But Joe’s smiles might quickly sour, given the fact that CNN is willing to let Kennedy appear on stage. According to the outlet, any candidate can meet the criteria.
From Axios:
A Trump official told The Washington Post a CNN producer had promised in a call today that “RFK will not be on the stage.”A Biden adviser told Axios: “Our criteria for a 1:1 debate was made clear publicly, it was made clear to CNN and they understood our position when we accepted their offer.”
CNN told Axios that “candidates just need to meet the qualifications laid out to in the release. At this time, only Biden and Trump have qualified.”
Trump and Biden might fear Kennedy so much, they are conspiring to stop him from getting access to the debate stage. Polling shows Kennedy is taking votes from both candidates, though Biden has more to fear from Kennedy.
And their stonewalling might end up giving RFK a bigger boost than they realize.
From The Hill:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unleashed fury over being left out of the debate conversation after former President Trump agreed to go up against President Biden on stage…“Presidents Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70% say they do not want,” Kennedy wrote Wednesday…
“They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win. Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy,” he wrote.
Kennedy claims both Biden and Trump are undermining democracy by denying him a chance to debate them. CNN requires candidates to poll at 15% in four “high-quality” national polls. Kennedy supporters might rally and make that possible, by mentioning his name to pollsters even if they don’t list him as a 2024 choice.
The independent believes he will reach 15% soon, giving him the right to appear on that stage. That might spoil what Trump and Biden are hoping to do—and give voters access to a third-party candidate who might send the election in a whole new direction.
Kennedy has claimed Biden is the true “spoiler” of the election, saying Joe cannot beat Donald Trump. If voters don’t want to see Trump return to office, Kennedy claims he is the only viable option.
It seems RFK wants to edge out Biden and make this a Kennedy-Trump election. As Biden continues to tumble in the polls, that might become a reality.
Key Takeaways:
- Robert Kennedy accused Trump and Biden of colluding to keep him from the debate stage.
- CNN claimed a candidate qualified for their debate if they got 15% in the polls.
- Kennedy could easily qualify if his supporters backed him in upcoming polls.
Source: Fox News, Axios, The Hill
