RFK Jr. sees Biden-Trump debate as potential boon for his third-party bid

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sees the first presidential debate of the cycle — an event for which he didn't qualify — as momentum-building for his third-party campaign. 

Amid the fallout from the CNN showdown between President Biden and former President Trump, Kennedy sounded a hopeful note about what Biden's lambasted performance could mean for his own longshot candidacy.

“They are tired of choosing the lesser of two evils,” Kennedy told NewsNation host Elizabeth Vargas in a post-debate recap about voters who see Biden and Trump as imperfect options.

“Hopefully some of them are going to start looking at me,” he said. 

Kennedy held a counterprogramming event, which his campaign promoted as “The Real Debate,” on Rumble and X, which ended after the main Biden-Trump matchup.

The independent candidate had pushed to make CNN’s debate threshold of 15 percent in four qualifying polls and enough state ballots to reach 270 electoral votes, but fell short. 

Instead, he held his own forum in which he heavily criticized CNN and his Democratic and Republican opponents for what he alleges is excluding him from the event.

Showing up would not have helped his opponents, the 70-year-old Kennedy told NewsNation, but instead would have presented voters with an option younger than 81-year-old Biden and 78-year-old Trump.

In particular, the debate sparked new questions about Biden’s age, stamina and mental acuity, and Trump’s willingness to share false information on the national stage. 

“I don’t think it would have helped President Trump or President Biden, I think it would have helped me a lot,” Kennedy told the network.

As Democrats turned to instant panic mode after a series of stumbles from the incumbent president, some wondered if Kennedy could be in contention to replace Biden. Kennedy, a former Democrat, changed his registration to independent in October and has criticized the party throughout his White House bid.

“The nomination, Chirs, is going to fall into the hands of the super delegates,” Kennedy told host Chris Cuomo, who asked if he would consider approaching Biden about stepping into his slot.

Showing no serious interest in re-joining Democrats, he quipped: “Who do you have that phone conversation with, Chris?”