The June 27 debate hosted by CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, will be a showdown between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden after independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to meet the debate requirements by the Thursday deadline.
In a video statement, Kennedy lashed out at his exclusion.
"President Trump and President Biden don’t agree on much, but they do agree on excluding me from the debate stage. They’ve colluded with CNN to rig the debate rules and block my participation so they don’t have to answer tough questions about the lockdowns, the $34 trillion national debt, the chronic disease epidemic, or the toxic polarization that drives their campaigns,” RFK Jr. said. “Both former presidents are making a mockery of democracy, but I’m never going to back down.”
The cable network required contenders to get 15 percent of support in four national polls and to appear as declared candidates in enough places to total 270 electoral votes — the minimum number needed to win the presidency — in order to participate in the event, hosted by moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. As an independent, Kennedy has had an uphill climb to ballot access. (The Hill)
President Trump and President Biden don’t agree on much, but they do agree on excluding me from the debate stage. They’ve colluded with CNN to rig the debate rules and block my participation so they don’t have to answer tough questions about the lockdowns, the $34 trillion… pic.twitter.com/oGn68n4i2U
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 20, 2024
Kennedy filed an FEC complaint last month about the alleged collusion, arguing "CNN, Biden, and Trump flagrantly violated a federal law requirement that media broadcasters use 'pre-established' and 'objective' criteria to determine candidate participation."
In a press release on Thursday, Kennedy's campaign said if the debate goes on without the independent candidate, they will "pursue this issue for as long as it takes to obtain justice against these illegal acts, if for no other reason than to ensure this type of undemocratic and un-American conduct does not occur again in the future."
