RFK Jr. slams Trump-Biden debate plans. Will he get an invite?

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed to a pair of debates in June and September on Wednesday, foregoing the three scheduled events by the Commission on Presidential Debates. One of their challengers was not pleased.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lashed out on X, claiming the two candidates “seek to avoid discussion of their eight years of mutual failure” by excluding Kennedy from the stage.

“They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win,” Kennedy wrote in a post. “Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy.”

Several hours after Kennedy’s post, Kennedy 2024 campaign manager Amaryllis Fox hinted that Kennedy would, in fact, be participating in the debate. “Thrilled that Presidents Biden and Trump have finally agreed to a debate!” Fox wrote on X. “We anticipate fulfilling all participation criteria by June 20th and look forward to offering American voters the three-way debate they deserve.”

In order to participate in the CNN debate on June 27, candidates must “appear on a sufficient number of state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold,” as well as “receive at least 15% in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting.” Trump and Biden appear to have met both criteria; Kennedy has not.

To date, Kennedy has obtained ballot access in only six states: Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Kennedy campaign says it has gathered enough signatures to be on the ballot in eight other states.

Kennedy has surpassed the polling threshold in three recent polls recognized by CNN.