Is a Biden-Trump-RFK debate in the cards? 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s rising profile raises questions about whether he will be able to appear on the debate stage with Presidents Biden and Donald Trump, and how that could affect the presidential election. The question arises as to whether there is.

It is not yet clear whether Mr. Kennedy, whose polling has been scattered throughout his candidacy, will qualify for the televised debate because he has not collected enough signatures on most state ballots.

However, dissatisfaction with the standard-bearers of both parties has opened the door to third options, especially those with access to large sums of money, creating conflicts within the parties. Three polarizing numbers are possible.

“If Bobby can continue to consistently get approval ratings above 15 percent, [until] A Kennedy ally familiar with the campaign’s messaging strategy told The Hill.

the first presidential debate about committee calendar It will be held in Texas on September 16th, followed by a Vice Presidential performance in Pennsylvania on September 25th. Two more performances are scheduled for October in Virginia and Utah.

Kennedy made it clear he wanted to participate in the discussion. action. He wants to go head-to-head with Biden and Trump, calling on them to openly exchange ideas and criticize existing policies before the American people. He wants voters to envision November’s election beyond a disastrous rematch between the two major parties.

President Kennedy appeared on Fox News this week and said, “I should be in these debates.” “There are a lot of really existential questions and neither of them can really address them.”

“We are in the most toxic polarization and division since the Civil War,” he said.

Amidst the drama, Biden and Trump were reluctant to entertain the idea of ​​engaging in a debate with Kennedy, whom they both view as a threat, regardless of the debate host or timeline.

First, with Trump and Biden polling evenly, it could simply give a boost to third-party candidates. Although Kennedy is well-known within his family, he is not as widely known as the current and former presidents, each of whom has benefited from holding the White House.

At this point in the campaign, it’s also unclear whose campaign he might vacillate more boldly. Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump are each vying for support among target voters dissatisfied with politics in Washington. This includes independents, who are notorious for leaning in one direction or the other, and whom Kennedy sought to identify with this cycle.

Kennedy said, said Aaron Cole, director of debate at the University of Michigan. It could also throw a new “wild card” into the arena as Biden and Trump each seek attention and avoid mistakes amid questions about their age and mental health. .

For now, Democrats and Republicans still view Kennedy as an unlikely candidate, but each is paying more attention to his campaign than before. His media circuit consists primarily of podcasts and alternative programming with select cable news appearances. Appearing in front of a national audience in contrast to his two rivals could potentially put him in front of a wider audience.

Still, there is a fundamental question about whether Biden and Trump will debate each other. President Trump said he would debate Biden “anytime, anywhere, anywhere,” but Biden did not participate in all of the Republican primary debates held this term, a move many former rivals and Biden allies have made. We condemn this action. There’s no guarantee he won’t do it again.

Team Biden, on the other hand, is “delighted” to debate Trump, perhaps going further than their more reserved comments about Trump’s prospects in recent months.

President Trump, who is in New York this week for a hush money trial, has criticized Kennedy for calling him a “radical left-liberal placed to support him” in a recent post on Truth Social. I don’t even know,” he claimed. Twisted Joe Biden. ”

“Look, RFK’s turnout is very low. He’s not a serious candidate,” Trump said when asked if he would debate independents in Manhattan.

“They say he’s hurting Biden, but I don’t know who he hurt, he might hurt me, I don’t know. But his numbers are very “It’s certainly not a number that can be debated. And he has to get higher numbers before he can be trusted,” Trump added.

Some strategists believe Mr. Biden has an advantage over his two rivals for the following reasons: Trump’s ongoing legal battle and questions about Kennedy’s viability.

Democratic strategist Kristen Horn said, “If all three get on that stage, President Biden will I think it’s going to be a clear winner.”

Horn also said that the schedule for President Trump’s criminal trial is still up in the air, and legal obligations could complicate plans for the debate or simply draw more attention to it. It pointed out.

Some of President Kennedy’s allies said: Regardless of the legal issues, President Trump may want to take the stage if given the chance. “He’s willing to mix things up,” said a person familiar with the Kennedy campaign. “He’s willing to discuss Bobby.”

But Biden supporters, including those within the Democratic National Committee, may be less enthusiastic about advising the sitting president to debate Kennedy. Democrats have made it clear that they believe he is someone who spews conspiracy theories about vaccines and whose super PACs are collecting money from Trump donors.

“The DNC will do everything possible to prevent Bobby from reaching the podium,” a pro-Kennedy source speculated.

Mr. Kennedy and the Democratic establishment have been at odds for much of this year, with Mr. Kennedy accusing both of being biased toward Mr. Biden and committee officials criticizing his candidacy as a way to uplift Mr. Trump. They are building a narrative that he is a “spoiler.”

“The DNC orchestrated a grossly skewed Democratic primary that resulted in Biden emerging as the nominee. Now they’re stuck with Biden, who can’t beat Trump,” Kennedy wrote in Friday’s X. “Can someone please help me understand this?”

President Kennedy held a news conference in New York City on Wednesday in which he sought to reverse Mr. Biden’s position. You can’t beat Trump in a three-way fight, and he won’t. his His own estimation, the true “spoiler”, is the point he is likely to bring up in the debate.

Democrats were quick to denounce Kennedy’s press conference as a mere gimmick to divert focus from his own long-term efforts.

“This is nothing more than a media stunt aimed at distracting from the fact that he has no path to winning the 270 electoral votes he needs to win,” Democratic strategist Doug Gordon said.

“His candidacy will only take votes away from other candidates because he can’t win. And no amount of stunts can change that,” Gordon said. “Staying in a race with no path to victory is the definition of a spoiler.”

Presidential debate scholar Kall expressed skepticism about Kennedy’s eligibility through the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), the organization that has sponsored all presidential debates in general elections for decades. did. One of the CPD requirements, along with the 15 percent threshold in qualified votes, will ensure that a particular candidate’s name appears on enough state ballots to have “at least a mathematical chance of winning an Electoral College majority” in 2024. It must be written down. Critics say that could be tough on Kennedy.

The Trump campaign has its own concerns about the process. CPD was unhappy with the September start date and this week called for other networks to remove their schedules and host discussions.

“If you go back to a really old setup where the networks are just different, [hosting debates] And they could have their own criteria,” Cole said, which could make Kennedy more likely to participate. — Trump and Biden may have to negotiate.

Tammy Vigil, a professor of media science at Boston University who specializes in political campaigns, said that regardless of whether Kennedy is qualified to take the stage, current and former presidents “have more to gain from a debate than not to debate at all.” There are far more.”

“He’s going to have to really ramp up his following,” Vigil said of Kennedy. “I don’t think that’s likely, but it would be very interesting to see that discussion.”