Trump says he has 'no problem' welcoming RFK Jr. to debates if he qualifies

Former President Donald Trump said he has “no problem” with independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joining him and President Joe Biden on stage if Kennedy meets the criteria for the June and September presidential debates.

“I would have no problem if he got whatever the threshold is. But he’s very low and he seems to be heading in the other direction, in the wrong direction," Trump said in an interview with Charles Benson, the chief political reporter for NBC affiliate WTMJ of Milwaukee. "I would have no problem with it though. If he qualified, I would have no problem."

After months of speculation over whether Trump and Biden would even face off, both campaigns committed Wednesday to two debates, on June 27 and Sept. 10.

Shortly after the debates were finalized, RFK Jr. accused Trump and Biden of “colluding” to keep him off the stage.

“They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win,” Kennedy wrote in a post on X.

Trump also told WTMJ that he would likely announce his vice presidential pick in the city this summer, referring to the Republican National Convention, set to take place there July 15-18.

“That’s probably a pretty good chance, I would say. I don’t say anything’s 100%, but you’re getting pretty close,” Trump said. "I’ll be doing it in Milwaukee."

This is the most explicit Trump has been about his timeline for making a vice presidential pick. In the meantime, potential contenders have been raising money with Trump and speaking on his behalf outside the New York courthouse where his criminal hush money trial is being held.

Trump, who for months has said Kennedy's candidacy will hurt Biden’s chances more than his own, has ramped up his criticism of the independent candidate. In a video posted recently to Truth Social, Trump called Kennedy a “Democrat plant” and a “radical left liberal.”

“He is not a Republican so don’t think you’re going to vote for him and feel good,” Trump said in the post.

Different polls have shown Kennedy taking more from each candidate. A recent national NBC News poll saw Kennedy winning more support from voters who chose Trump in a head-to-head matchup with Biden.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com