28 June 2024 , 10:48
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. staged his own debate on Thursday night, while Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced off in Atlanta for the first major clash of the 2024 election.
RFK Jr's alternative event, which he named "The Real Debate," saw him answering the same questions posed to Biden and Trump, broadcast live on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. John Stossel, previously with ABC News and Fox News, moderated the event, ensuring RFK Jr adhered to the same time limits as his opponents during his solo performance.
Standing solo on stage, RFK Jr kicked off by slamming CNN, the host of the main debate, for allegedly conspiring with the Republican and Democratic parties to exclude him. "This is something that's important for our democracy because Americans feel like the system is rigged," he declared.
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RFK Jr stood alone on his own stage (No credit)He added: "This is exactly the kind of merger of state and corporate power that I'm running to oppose." CNN had set criteria for Thursday's debate, extending invites to candidates demonstrating significant support in four reputable polls and possessing sufficient ballot access to potentially secure the presidency.
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Falling short on these prerequisites, RFK Jr did not make the cut for the debate. In response, RFK Jr has repeatedly blasted the network for being "undemocratic" and accuses Biden and Trump of "colluding" to keep him out of sight.
In a fundraising email, RFK Jr's campaign maintained that both Biden and Trump are fearful his presence "would catapult Bobby into the national spotlight, with devastating consequences for the two-party candidates." Since abruptly bowing out of the Democratic primary to run independently last October, RFK Jr's once buzzing campaign now echoes emptiness, with no notable dates inked onto his or running mate philanthropist Nicole Shanahan's shared calendar for the upcoming weeks.
RFK Jr's campaign funds plummeted into the red back in May due to consecutive months of lacklustre fundraising, Politico reports the debt held by his campaign stands at a staggering $2.6 million. Nevertheless, he remains confident his influence could shape the election's outcome despite past polls showing third-party candidates, particularly RFK Jr, significantly reducing Trump's support base this coming November.
He responded in real time to the same questions that were posed to Biden and Trump (No credit)Interestingly, other polls have shown Republican voters hold RFK Jr in much higher esteem compared to Democratic voters. However, RFK Jr expresses uncertainty about victory unless voters are made aware he's in the race and believe he could trump both Biden and Trump.
Theresa Amato, Ralph Nader's former campaign manager, told Politico participating in the official debates "gives momentum, if the candidate does well, to raise more money, grassroots money, and that will help fuel the candidacy, the viability, and helps, of course, in polling ... It's a phenomenal boost to an independent candidacy,".
Sujat Desai, a 20-year-old RFK Jr supporter from Pleasanton, California, told AP that missing the debates would be a major hurdle for the candidate, stating: "I don't think there's any way to get awareness if you're not on the debate stage," and, "I think it's a pretty lethal blow not to be in this debate, and it would be detrimental not to be in the next."
No third-party candidate has qualified for a presidential debate since Ross Perot in 1992. Social media reaction to RFK Jr's solo debate was mixed, with some users describing it as "embarrassing" and "pathetic". One wrote: "This is uniquely and equally pathological and sad," while another said: "That's kinda pathetic. Like holding your own prom."
Another added: "Kind of embarrassing. When you're not allowed to play with the big kids so you hang around outside the door and be annoying." Others, however, defended the decision, with one user commenting: "It makes total sense considering he got excluded from a rigged media system backed by the corrupt establishment," while a second agreed, adding: "When a corrupt system shuts you out you do what you gotta do."