Dean Phillips says RFK Jr. should be included in Trump, Biden debates

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) praised former President Trump and President Biden’s decision to debate each other, but said he thinks independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. should also participate. Stated.

Asked by Fox News’ Bret Baier what he thought about Wednesday’s announcement about the debates being held in June and September ahead of the regular schedule, Phillips said he thought it was “Hallelujah.”

“Debate is the vitamin of democracy. Brett, not too long ago, it seemed like the first debate in modern history between two major party candidates would never happen. So that’s okay.” He said.

“Wouldn’t it be better if the Commission on Presidential Debates continued to host bipartisanship and perhaps include third-party candidates? Absolutely,” Phillips continued. “Because right now, 25 to 30 percent of the population is not going to vote for President Biden or former President Trump.”

Still, Phillips said the agreement is a step in the right direction and hopes that when discussions occur, they are about legitimate policy and not arguing with or against each other.

The Biden campaign proposed two debates with Trump on Wednesday, exceeding the committee’s authority and challenging the former president to his first debate since the two went head-to-head in 2020. Trump skipped all Republican primary debates and campaigned instead.

President Trump accepted the offer to hold debates in both June and September, saying, “‘Let’s get ready for the Rumble!!!'”

Phillips, who ran for the Democratic Party to unseat Biden but was unable to gain much support, said he wished Kennedy had been included as an invitee. That’s because Kennedy would have been a “thoughtful and engaging debater” on stage with Biden and Trump.

“The more competition, the better, and Brett and I see too many efforts to undermine competition instead of promoting it,” he said.

The debate was covered by CNN and ABC. ABC announced it would make the debate simulcast on other networks, and Phillips said he thought that was a good idea.

“As I said earlier, the more people who see the conversation, the debate, the deliberation, the better. Without that, I think democracy dies,” he said.