CNN on Saturday announced details for the June 27 presidential debate, which suddenly could include Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Biden and Trump campaigns had agreed to the rules in May, but now CNN says it’s “not impossible” for Mr. Kennedy to appear onstage with President Biden and former President Donald Trump.
In order to qualify for the debate stage, a candidate must satisfy the constitutional requirements to serve as president and file a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.
A candidate must also be on enough state ballots to reach the winning 270 electoral vote threshold and receive at least 15% support in four major polls. Mr. Kennedy has 15% in three qualifying polls and is on the ballot in six states, which comes out to 89 electoral votes.
The independent candidate filed a complaint against the network last month in which he alleged CNN was colluding with the Biden and Trump campaigns to keep him off the debate stage.
The remaining candidates — the Green Party’s Jill Stein and independent Cornel West — are “less likely” to qualify, the network said.
CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate the 90-minute spectacle in Atlanta. It will mark the first time that Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump are on the same stage since they last clashed in 2020.
The debate will have two commercial breaks, and candidates are not allowed to interact with members of their campaign staff during that time. No props or prewritten notes will be allowed onstage, but candidates will be given a notepad, pen and bottle of water.
Microphones will be muted except for the candidate whose turn it is to speak. And there will be no studio audience, a departure from the typical presidential debate.
