Former President Donald Trump has brushed off independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., labeling him as “not a serious candidate” due to his low polling numbers.
What Happened: Trump was queried about the possibility of debating Kennedy while in New York City for his hush money trial. He retorted that Kennedy was “not a serious candidate” and his polling numbers were too low to merit a debate, reported The Hill.
“Look, RFK is polling very low, he is not a serious candidate. They say he hurts Biden; I don't know who he hurts, he might hurt me, I don't know. But he has very low numbers, certainly not numbers that he can debate with. He's got to get his numbers a lot higher before he's credible,” said Trump.
Despite professing limited knowledge about Kennedy, Trump has targeted him in posts on Truth Social over the past week. Kennedy responded to Trump’s comments, lauding him as the “most adept debater in modern American political history” and challenging him to a debate.
Recent polls show Trump with a slight lead over President Joe Biden when Kennedy is included in the race. However, an NBC News poll found Biden leading Trump by 2 points when Kennedy and other third-party candidates were included. In a head-to-head match-up against Biden, Trump emerges victorious.
The Trump campaign has requested the Commission on Presidential Debate to reschedule the debate to an earlier date than the planned September date. The CPD announced this week that the first debate, scheduled for Sep. 16, will be “the earliest televised general election debate ever held.”
Why It Matters: Kennedy has previously claimed that he is the only candidate who can defeat Trump and has urged President Biden to withdraw from the race. Despite trailing Biden by 30 points in recent polls, Kennedy has proposed a "No Spoiler Pledge" for Biden, which would require Biden's withdrawal from the race if he underperforms Kennedy in a head-to-head poll with Trump in mid-October.
Trump has previously attacked Kennedy, branding him as a “Radical Left Liberal” and stating that a vote for Kennedy would equate to a “wasted protest vote.” According to polls, Kennedy could potentially draw more votes away from Trump than from President Biden.
With the 2024 election approaching, polls indicate a close race between Biden and Trump. The inclusion of Kennedy and other third-party candidates could potentially impact the final outcome.
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