--- title: What Third-Party Candidates Are Doing During Debate description: While only Biden and Trump qualified for the CNN debate, the other four candidates vying for the presidential office have their own plans. canonical: https://time.com/6993283/rfk-jr-jill-stein-presidential-debate/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-06-27T23:17:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:25.100Z article:section: Politics og:title: What Third-Party Candidates Are Doing During CNN Debate og:description: The other four candidates have their own plans for debate night. og:url: https://time.com/6993283/rfk-jr-jill-stein-presidential-debate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ff2694326e0210d/698a584a09208f0cde41d53b/rfk-jr-debate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2398 og:image:height: 1349 og:image:alt: rfk-jr-debate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: What Third-Party Candidates Are Doing During CNN Debate twitter:description: The other four candidates have their own plans for debate night. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0ff2694326e0210d/698a584a09208f0cde41d53b/rfk-jr-debate.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What RFK, Jill Stein and Other Third-Party Candidates Are Doing During CNN’s Presidential Debate > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=88c988d9-419e-42b1-81bb-f47e0bd38e47&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: These Are the Biggest Moments From the First 2024 Presidential Debate [Watch (HLS stream): These Are the Biggest Moments From the First 2024 Presidential Debate](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aYKZlt9t.m3u8) (2:59)  _Published 2024-06-28. Awkward exchanges, personal jabs, and falsehoods dominated the CNN Presidential Debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump._ by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jun 27, 2024 11:17 PM UTC  A screen-grab shows Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he participates in his own debate, called “The Real Debate”, that streamed alongside the CNN debate. A screen-grab shows Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as he participates in his own debate, called “The Real Debate”, that streamed alongside the CNN debate. by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Jun 27, 2024 11:17 PM UTC [President Joe Biden](https://time.com/6984970/joe-biden-2024-interview/) and former [President Donald Trump](https://time.com/6972021/donald-trump-2024-election-interview/) are slated to duke it out at the CNN [debate](https://time.com/6991454/presidential-debates-your-questions-answered/) on Thursday night, but there are still [four other candidates](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/politics/presidential-candidates-2024.html) vying for the presidential office in 2024\. Despite the two front-runners being the only candidates to qualify for the televised face-off, these other candidates have plans of their own for debate night. Here’s what they intend to do. **Robert F. Kennedy Jr.** The independent presidential candidate [didn’t meet the threshold](https://time.com/6990259/rfk-jr-fails-to-qualify-cnn-presidential-debate/) for both state ballot qualification and necessary polling that were required to be eligible to participate in the debate in Atlanta. On Tuesday, he [announced](https://x.com/RobertKennedyJr/status/1805700431727018018) that he will participate in his own debate, called “[The Real Debate](https://www.kennedy24.com/kennedy%5Fgive%5Famericans%5Fdebate%5Fthey%5Fdeserve)” that will stream live on X and [TheRealDebate.com](https://therealdebate.com/) at the same time as the CNN debate—9 p.m. ET. Kennedy plans to answer the same debate questions that Biden and Trump will be asked during the CNN debate and is the only candidate to be holding a debate at the same time as the CNN event. Former FOX host John Stossel, now host and creator of Stossel TV and a [self-proclaimed Libertarian](https://www.johnstossel.com/about/), will moderate Kennedy’s debate. “I’m going to be on that debate stage with or without their permission,” Kennedy said in his video announcement. Kennedy will also be on [NewsNation](https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/debates/kennedy-joins-newsnations-debate-coverage/) directly after his debate “to answer questions and respond to the Biden-Trump debate.” NewsNation said it also plans to livestream Kennedy’s debate responses online. According to the [NPR/PBS News/Marist College](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/the-2024-presidential-election-june-2024/) poll released June 18, Kennedy receives the support of 11% of registered voters nationally in a multi-candidate field. **Read More:** [_These Are the Rules of the CNN Presidential Debate_](https://time.com/6989767/presidential-debate-rules-cnn-2024/) **Jill Stein** The Green Party presidential candidate will be [live-tweeting](https://x.com/DrJillStein/status/1806088120414392822) the Biden-Trump debate once it starts. At 10:30 p.m. ET—or whenever the CNN debate ends—Stein will stream a live response to the debate on her Facebook, X, and YouTube accounts. “CNN and the Biden and Trump campaigns locked Jill out of this sham ‘debate,’ but they can’t silence her voice for people, planet, and peace,” Stein’s campaign said in a [press release](https://www.jillstein2024.com/debateresponse). According to the [NPR/PBS News/Marist College](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/the-2024-presidential-election-june-2024/) poll, Stein receives the support of 1% of registered voters nationally in a multi-candidate field. **Cornel West** The independent presidential candidate will join [theGrio](https://thegrio.com/2024/06/27/watch-the-cnn-presidential-debate-with-thegrio-our-pre-debate-and-post-debate-specials-will-break-down-all-the-political-drama/) for a post-debate analysis, part of its [“Black America Must Vote”](https://x.com/theGrio/status/1805734428166992141) specials, at 10:30 p.m. ET. According to the [NPR/PBS News/Marist College](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/the-2024-presidential-election-june-2024/) poll, West receives the support of 3% of registered voters nationally in a multi-candidate field. **Chase Oliver** The Libertarian presidential candidate will also be [live-tweeting](https://x.com/ChaseForLiberty/status/1806411877775298738) the Biden-Trump debate once it starts, and then plans to do media interviews after the debate ends. According to the [NPR/PBS News/Marist College](https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/the-2024-presidential-election-june-2024/) poll, Oliver receives the support of 1% of registered voters nationally in a multi-candidate field. Get alerts on the biggest breaking news stories [**here**](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=breaking-news) ## Transcript If I'm elected, I'm going to restore Ro Wade. So that means he can take the life of the baby in the ninth month and even after birth, because some states, Democrat run, take it after birth. Again, the governor former governor of Virginia, put the baby down then we decide what to do with it. Get the total ban on the total initiative relative to what we're going to do with more border patrol and more asylum officers. President Trump. I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either. Look, Hamas cannot be allowed to be continued. We continue to send our experts and our intelligence people as to how they can get Hamas like we did Bin Laden. But he said the only one who wants to keep going is Hamas. Actually, Israel is the one, and you should let him go and let him finish the job. He doesn't want to do it. He's become like a Palestinian, but they don't like him because he's a very bad Palestinian. He's a weak one. On January 6, we had a great border. Nobody coming through, very few. On January 6, we were energy independent. On January 6, we had the lowest taxes ever. We had the lowest regulations ever. On January 6, we were respected all over the world, all over the world, we were respected. And then he comes in, and we're now left at. We're like, a bunch of stupid people. I said peacefully and patriotically. He encouraged those folks to go up at Capitol Hill, number one. I sat in the dining room off the Oval office. He sat there for 3 hours, 3 hours watching, begging, being begged by his vice president. The only person on this stage is a convicted felon is the man I'm looking at right now. And the fact of the matter is, he is what he's telling you is simply not true. But when he talks about a convicted felon, his son is a convicted felon, at a very high level. His son is convicted. Gonna be convicted probably numerous other times. Should have been convicted before, but his justice department let the statute of limitations lapse on the most important things. How many billions of dollars do you owe in civil penalties for molesting a woman in public, for doing a whole range of things of having sex with a porn star on the night while your wife was pregnant. I mean, what are he talking about? You have the morals of an alley cat. Give you a minute, sir. I didn't have sex with a Porn Star, number one. Number two, that was a case that was started and moved. And, by the way, I told you before, I'm happy to play golf if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it? That's the biggest lie. He's a six handicap of all. I was eight handicap. Yeah. Eight You know how many I've seen you swing. I know you swing. Let's's act like children. President Trump we're going to. Let's not act like children. Pacific. Russia would have never attacked In preside. The question was, will you accept the results of the election, regardless of who wins? Yes or no, please. 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