RFK Jr. hosts livestream after being barred from attending the presidential debate

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. held a livestreamed event concurrent with Thursday’s presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, which he was not permitted to attend.

The event, titled “The Real Debate,” was hosted on X and featured Kennedy answering the same questions posed to Biden and Trump. The format involved pausing the CNN debate after each question to allow Kennedy a chance to respond as if he were present.

As previously reported by the Deseret News, Kennedy did not meet the requirements set by CNN for participation in the debate. CNN mandated that a candidate must be on enough state ballots to total at least 270 Electoral College votes and receive at least 15% support in four separate national polls.

Kennedy secured spots on only seven state ballots, including Utah, totaling 100 electoral votes. Additionally, he achieved the 15% support requirement in only three out of four polls

The event was moderated by John Stossel, a libertarian and former host on ABC and Fox Business. Strossel ensured that Kennedy’s responses adhered to the same 2-minute timeframe imposed in the actual debate.

Kennedy used the first question to accuse CNN of blocking his participation in the presidential debate and colluding with the Republican and Democratic parties, according to The Associated Press.

“This is important for our democracy because Americans feel like the system is rigged,” Kennedy said, per The Associated Press. “This is exactly the kind of merger of state and corporate power that I’m running to oppose.”

Independent and third-party candidates like Kennedy often struggle to secure enough support to challenge the Republican and Democratic parties, according to the AP. However, Kennedy’s campaign has drawn interest from voters across party lines, causing concern among both major parties that he may siphon votes from their bases.

In a post-debate interview with NBC News, Kennedy said, “President Biden can’t beat President Trump. I can beat him.”

“I’m not the one who should be withdrawing from the race and I’m not going to be withdrawing from the race,” he added.