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Donald Trump on Thursday weighed in on the idea of discussing presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr., even as the former president’s allies have expressed growing concern about Kennedy’s campaign. sneered.
“I don’t know anything about him,” Trump told reporters after his criminal trial in Manhattan. “Look, RFK is way down.”
Despite the former president’s claims that he knew little about Kennedy, Trump repeatedly attacked him on social media over the weekend.
“He’s, well, not a serious candidate,” President Trump said Thursday. “They say he’s hurting Biden. I don’t know who he’s hurting, but he might hurt me. I don’t know. His numbers are very low, certainly the debate He needs to get his numbers a lot higher before he can be trusted. ”
Early polls also show that Kennedy’s participation will have a negative impact on Trump.
An NBC News national poll had Mr. Trump leading Mr. Biden by 2 points, but when Mr. Kennedy and other third-party candidates are included, Mr. Biden has a 2-point lead. It should be noted that both results are within the margin of error, indicating an extremely close race heading into the summer. According to FiveThirtyEight’s average weighted national poll, Mr. Kennedy’s approval rating is 10%, compared to 41.4% and 40.8% for Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, respectively.
The former president’s barrage comes after Kennedy made a serious effort to appeal to Trump voters.
A prominent vaccine skeptic refused to rule out a recall of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine administered by Vice Presidential candidate Nicole Shanahan. President Kennedy also expressed sympathy for some Americans who have been convicted of crimes related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Kennedy has made recurring appearances on more shows, Politico reported. Podcasts tailored to MAGA And the show. Kennedy made his initial reputation as an environmental activist in line with his family’s well-known liberal views, but in recent years he has found more in common with the right wing. He has abandoned his primary challenge to President Joe Biden and endorsed his independent candidacy.
Trump’s refusal to debate Kennedy may not be entirely at his discretion.
The nonprofit Commission on Presidential Debates, founded by both major U.S. political parties, has hosted every presidential debate since 1988. The commission has faced intense criticism over its treatment of third-party candidates. The law allowed Texas businessman Ross Perot to participate in all three debates in 1992, but barred him from participating four years later. No third-party candidate has come close to surpassing Mr. Perot’s mark in 1992, when he won nearly 19 percent of the popular vote. Since 2000, the committee has imposed a 15% threshold in major national polls, and no third-party candidate has achieved that threshold.
But Trump and his allies have harshly criticized the debate commission. The Republican National Committee has decided to withdraw from the committee in 2022. President Trump’s campaign managers on Wednesday announced that the committee would be required to move up the first debate, scheduled for Sept. 16 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, if they deny the former president’s request to move up the first debate, scheduled for Sept. 16 at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. threatened to hold a debate without them.
Mr. Biden recently told radio host Howard Stern that he would like to debate Mr. Trump, but there is widespread speculation that such a debate will never take place. Their first debate in 2020 was objectively a disaster. The second debate was canceled after President Trump refused to accept a virtual format after the then-president tested positive for COVID-19.
While millions of Americans cast their votes before Election Day, debates hold a powerful place in the political calendar. In an era when Americans watch little live television other than sports and the Oscars, debates are often among the most-watched programs on television during election years.