Former President Donald J. Trump said on Thursday that he would be willing to include Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate, in two upcoming debates between him and President Biden, although Mr. Biden’s team has made it clear that he will not the case is possibility.
Speaking to Scripps News, Mr. Trump said that as long as Mr. Kennedy met the eligibility criteria of CNN and ABC News, which moderated the debates, he would have no objection to having Mr. Kennedy on stage.
“Well, I don’t have a problem with him,” Mr. Trump said to Charles Benson, a political correspondent for Scripps television station WTMJ in Milwaukee, before taking a swipe at Mr. Kennedy. “I think he’s really not doing well in the polls at all. His numbers have dropped significantly recently.”
President Biden’s campaign stipulated in a recent memo that the debates should be limited to him and Mr. Trump. While Mr Biden and Mr Trump agreed to take part in two debates, one on June 27 and another on September 10, the terms are still being worked out.
In a social media post on Thursday, Mr. Trump mocked Mr. Biden over the possible inclusion of Mr. Kennedy, writing that Mr. Kennedy was “sharper and far more intelligent” than Mr. Biden and that the two would “debate.” over the same territory as the ridiculous Open Borders and the Green New Scam.”
A spokesman for Mr. Biden’s campaign pointed to a statement from Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Mr. Biden’s campaign chair, on Wednesday that said: “Donald Trump has a long history of playing with debates.”
Mr. Kennedy pledged in a social media post on Wednesday to qualify for next month’s debate on CNN. He also commented on his possible exclusion. “They’re afraid I’ll win,” he said of Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump.
CNN and ABC News use similar criteria, requiring participants to have received at least 15 percent support in four approved national polls and to have qualified to vote in enough states to have a chance of receiving the 270 electoral votes that required to win the presidency.
Only two national polls currently have Mr. Kennedy above the 15 percent threshold – one from Quinnipiac University and one from CNN – and he is currently on the ballot in only six states, for a total of 89 electoral votes.
His campaign is trying to secure ballot access in all 50 states, an expensive and time-consuming process that is likely to draw legal challenges from Democrats allied with Mr. Biden.
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2024-05-16 20:35:33
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