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This week, Joe Biden finally accepted President Trump’s challenge to debate before the November general election, securing at least two official debate dates over the next few months.
Per RSBN, the first debate is scheduled for June 27 and the second debate is scheduled for September 10. CNN will host the first debate and ABC will host the second event.
President Trump is slated to formally accept the Republican Party’s presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in July, and Joe Biden will accept the Democrat Party nomination in August.
“It’s time for a debate so that he [Biden] can explain to the American People his highly destructive Open Border Policy, new and ridiculous EV Mandates, the allowance of Crushing Inflation, High Taxes, and his really WEAK Foreign Policy, which is allowing the World to ‘Catch on Fire,’” President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Amidst a set schedule for Biden and Trump to face off in 2024, there has been much speculation as to whether Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will join the debate stage along with them.
However, to qualify for the general election debate, a candidate’s name must appear on a high enough number of ballots across numerous states to demonstrate they could reach the magic 270 electoral votes in a hypothetical election.
“I’m happy to report that I will meet the criteria to participate in the @CNN debate before the June 20 deadline,” Kennedy wrote on X on Wednesday.
At the moment, Kennedy does not appear on enough state ballots to qualify for a general debate stage appearance. According to Forbes, the Independent hopeful has submitted requests to appear on the ballot in just six states. He has consistently polled with about nine to ten percent of support in national polls when split with Trump and Biden.
Even so, Trump has stated in the past that Kennedy is “far more LIBERAL than anyone running as a Democrat, including West and Stein.”
On Thursday, the 45th president also added that “Crooked Joe Biden” didn’t want RFK Jr. to participate in the debates because he is “far left” of him, leaving Biden to duke out far-left talking points and policies onstage.
“He’s also sharper and far more intelligent than Joe, all making for a bad combination of ingredients,” Trump added.
He continued, “I don’t care if Junios’[sic] joins the Debate, but right now his polling numbers are very low, he is not properly qualified in the States, and he seems to be on a downward path. Junior’ needs more than his name to get on the ‘stage!’”