Trump knocks RFK Jr: "Not a serious candidate"

New York, New York - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was recently asked if he would debate his Independent challenger Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and he wasn't too fond of the idea.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump recently dismissed the idea of debating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. because of his low polling numbers.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump recently dismissed the idea of debating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. because of his low polling numbers.  © Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire & UPI Photo

As Trump was leaving his hush money trial in New York on Thursday, he stopped once again to speak with and take questions from reporters.

When one asked about the possibility of him sharing the debate stage with RFK, the former president scoffed at the notion, stating, "I don't know anything about him."

"Look, RFK is polling very low," Trump said. "He is not a serious candidate."

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"They say he hurts Biden. I don't know who he hurts, he might hurt me. I don't know. He has very low numbers, certainly not numbers that he can debate with.

"He's got to get his numbers a lot higher before he's credible," he added.

His remarks come after Kennedy argued in a recent interview that he "should have a spot" on the debate stage, and outlined a number of issues he would bring up against Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

Some critics believe Trump's response about debating seems to indicate he is finally beginning to consider RFK a serious threat.

Would Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualify for the debates?

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposing his "no-spoiler" pledge to President Joe Biden during a campaign event on Wednesday.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposing his "no-spoiler" pledge to President Joe Biden during a campaign event on Wednesday.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Kennedy has been facing heightened criticism from both sides of the aisle for being a potential "spoiler" candidate for either one of his challengers, who are currently neck-and-neck in most national polls.

A recent Marist Poll found Kennedy, who was polling much higher when he first joined the race, at 16%, while his challengers are both polling around 45%.

And while Trump claimed he didn't know who Kennedy could harm if he's included on the ballots, another poll from NBC News recently found that RFK has a higher chance of siphoning votes from Trump than Biden, as Republicans hold a 40% favorable view of Kennedy compared to only 16% of Democrats.

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According to Business Insider, the Commission on Presidential Debates has hosted presidential debates since 1988, and in 2000, the commission imposed a 15% polling threshold for potential candidates.

If Kennedy either maintains his current polling numbers or successfully grows his support, he may very well qualify for the debates, which are expected to begin on September 16.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire & UPI Photo

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