Cringeworthy moments from presidential debate between Biden, Trump
Some cringeworthy moments from the 2024 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta.
After the debate Thursday night between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, one thing was rising in Google searches Friday morning: “who else is running for president?”
The debate has been called a triumph for one side, a disaster for the other, or a shameful performance for both men, depending on where you’re looking. Biden, speaking with a hoarse voice and occasionally stumbling over his words — his campaign said he had a cold — started off slow and built to a stronger showing when talking about his accomplishments but did little to assuage concerns about his age. Trump repeated many debunked claims and unsubstantiated accusations he made in his campaign rallies but he did so with a strong, alert confidence even though the facts were not on his side.
“I think I witnessed the unofficial end of the Biden campaign,” Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox’s Sean Hannity after the debate ended. However, presidential debates do not often have much effect on election results, according to a 2020 report from Scientific American, and Biden has shown no plans to step down.
So for people turned off by both men, what are America’s other choices? There are other people running out there, but their chances, even after last night, seem slim. No third-party or independent candidate has ever won a presidential election in the U.S. (not counting George Washington, who never joined a political party).
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., Independent
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., 70, nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, started off his presidential bid challenging Biden for the Democratic nomination but switched to run as an independent last October.
Kennedy is an environmental lawyer and author who has promoted building up the middle class, lowering the national debt and returning to the Roe v. Wade standards for abortion rights. He also became one of the most prominent distributors of anti-vaccine misinformation and public health conspiracy theories during the pandemic and his campaign confirmed a New York Times report that years ago doctors found a dead worm in his brain and ate a portion of it. Many members of the Kennedy family have publicly condemned him for his views and in April 15 of them publicly endorsed Biden over their own relative.
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While third-party candidates are a long shot no matter who they are, Kennedy feels enough people are unhappy with Biden and Trump that he has a real chance. Most polls show him significantly behind both frontrunners and experts feel he will simply pull needed votes away from one or both of them, although it remains to be seen which candidate will be hurt the most. A May Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 13% of respondents backed him.
Kennedy failed to qualify for the debate as he did not appear on enough state ballots to reach the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency. The candidate has said he will be on every state ballot by the end of July but so far he’s only on a handful and fighting an uphill battle. Democratic opponents have sued in several states to keep him off and CBS News reports he is facing legal challenges in Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Delaware and New Jersey.
In Florida, a presidential candidate nominated by a political party may be placed on the general election ballot, according to the National Association of Secretaries of State. Independents who are not affiliated with a national party holding a nominating convention or write-in candidates for president may file a petition with the Department of State to get ballot access.
Kennedy’s campaign is currently working to get him on the ballot in Florida where he has been nominated by the Reform Party, a centrist party Ross Perot started in 1995 that has since faded. The Florida Divisions of Elections canceled the Reform Party’s filings as a minor political party last year, the Florida Phoenix reported, but the party announced their application for recertification had been approved. The state has not yet officially confirmed this but the Reform Party does appear on the FDOE’s list of Minor Political Parties.
JILL STEIN, Green Party
Dr. Jill Stein, 74, announced in November she was running for president under the Green Party for the third time, saying “the political system is broken.”
Stein said she would seek an “economic bill of rights” for Americans, including “the right to a job, to health care, to housing, to food, education and more.” She also called for abolishing student and medical debt. In April she was arrested along with more than 80 protesters demonstrating at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri against the universities ties to the Israel-Hamas war.
Stein, who previously ran in 2012 and 2016, has drawn backlash from Democrats who argue she cost Hillary Clinton the presidency in 2016 when she won more votes than Trump’s margin of victory in three swing states – Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
As the nominee of a political party, Stein will appear on most state ballots, including in Florida.
CORNEL WEST, Independent
Progressive activist and scholar Cornel West, 71, began his bid under the Green Party but switched to independent last October. He has promised to end poverty and guarantee housing.
West, a longtime member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has criticized Israel for its part of the Israel-Hamas war and promised he would call on the International Criminal Court to investigate Israeli forces for potential war crimes.
Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, told USA TODAY in January that West could appeal to younger voters and people dissatisfied with Biden’s handling of the conflict. However, West also has a tough road to get onto state ballots.
His campaign claims he’s on seven, Ballotpedia just lists two. One of the states the West campaign listed was North Carolina, which NBC News reported voted Wednesdau night against giving him or Kennedy ballot access. This decision is not final and will be revisited before the election.
CHASE OLIVER, Libertarian Party
Despite pitches from both Biden and Trump, the Libertarian Party nominated Chase Oliver. 38, as its presidential candidate, with Mikle ter Maat as his running mate.
Openly gay anti-war activist Oliver is by far the youngest candidate in the running, nominated by the third-largest political party, but his chances still aren’t great. He told NPR that his goals are “concrete things we can do to build our party foundation up that don’t require us to win the White House this November.”
Oliver, who ran unsuccessfully for Georgia’s Senate in 2020 and ran in a tightly contested race for U.S. Senate in 2022, is running on personal rights and protection issues including immigration reform, justice reform, replacing the death penalty, ending the war on drugs and strengthening privacy and civil liberties.
Oliver is currently on the ballot in New York and North Carolina, according to Ballotpedia. He will likely appear on the Florida ballot for the Libertarian Party.
Contributing: Victor Hagan, USA TODAY
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Publish date : 2024-06-28 10:49:54
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