'I qualify': RFK Jr insists he meets CNN's criteria for participating in upcoming presidential debates

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr joined Fox News host Maria Bartiromo to discuss his campaign's efforts to get on the presidential debate stage alongside President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump on the May 19 episode of 'Sunday Morning Futures'.

The 70-year-old claimed that he meets the debate criteria set by CNN, which is scheduled to host the first debate between the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees on June 27.

Robert F Kennedy's claims on qualifying for presidential debate

"CNN published a list of criteria for candidates getting in, and we have shown CNN that we meet all of those criteria and that President Trump and President Biden cannot meet those criteria," Kennedy Jr told Bartiromo.

"One of the two key criteria is that every candidate has to be on ballots in enough states to get 270 electoral votes by June 20, and we will qualify for that. President Trump and President Biden cannot qualify for that because they don't have any electoral votes at this time. They are presumptive nominees for their party. They themselves are not on the ballot, and I will be the only one on the ballot," he explained.

The second criterion stipulated by the network states that candidates must reach 15% in four separate national polls that CNN will take into account to qualify for being on the debate stage.

Kennedy Jr shared that his team presented the network with five national polls, including a Harvard-Harris poll, a Monmouth poll, the Quinnipiac poll, and a recent CNN poll that found him meeting the 15% threshold.

"So I qualify for the debates," he said, adding that his team was in correspondence with the network to make headway.

He later added, "We'll be on the ballot… we have enough signatures today for 201 electoral votes. By the end of the month, we'll be at 340."

Internet wants RFK Jr to participate in presidential debates

The users on the internet agreed with the independent candidate for appearing on the presidential debate stage.

"If he meets the criteria then he should be on the stage One set of rules for all I think Trump and Biden would agree one set of rules for all," a social media user wrote on X (formerly Twitter) while responding to the news.

"He should be allowed to debate. Biden is the only person that doesn't want him to debate, because Biden's pulling every card he can to subvert the will of the American people," shared another.

"Let RFK Jr. debate! That's called democracy," expressed one person.

"I don't like him, but absolutely should be allowed to participate if he wants to," commented another user.

An individual pointed out that "if his name is on the ballot he should be on the debate stage."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.