NewsNation host Chis Cuomo on Wednesday offered independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. time on the network should he not be included in next month’s presidential debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, an outcome which appears all but certain.
“If you can’t get on that stage, we’re happy at NewsNation to offer you a platform around it on those issues,” he said after mentioning topics like fentanyl, addiction, and the handling of COVID, “to galvanize American people who want to get back to their common concerns.”
“What do you think about creating an alternative platform if you get boxed out of the game?” Cuomo asked.
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Kennedy, who has accused the Trump and Biden campaigns of scheming to exclude him from any presidential debate, described ongoing discussions among his campaign, NewsNation, and X owner Elon Musk regarding potential counter-debate programming.
“We’re talking right now with NewsNation, with your network, and Elon Musk has offered us a platform on X, and Elon is now talking also with NewsNation to do a joint platform and a joint debate—kind of an alternative debate,” the anti-vaccine activist said. “So that’s something we’re looking at.”
Earlier Wednesday, Kennedy filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over CNN’s debate criteria, which include being on enough state ballots to obtain 270 electoral votes and garnering at least 15 percent in four national polls that adhere to the network’s polling standards.
Kennedy is currently on the ballot in six states, according to CNN, comprising 89 electoral votes. Additionally, he has reached the 15 percent threshold in only three polls, the network stated.
