(NewsNation) — Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he believes the first presidential debate was a “depressing exhibition” of presidential potential that will leave Americans dissatisfied and disillusioned with their options.
“I think it’s going to leave a lot of Americans depressed, you know?” Kennedy said.
But Kennedy does not want to misinterpret the lackluster response to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump as a reflection on his own campaign for the upcoming presidential election, saying “I try not to make those projections.”
The debate, which Kennedy believes lacked specificity and avoided fact-checking, leaves him concerned for the average American.
“We have brilliant, brilliant people in this country, and great innovators and thinkers. And it was kind of it’s just depressing to say this is, you know, is this really the best that we can come up with?” Kennedy added.
He claims he’s the only person who could beat Trump and Biden, citing recent polling as evidence.
Kennedy also jabbed the debate’s setup and affiliation, adding: “This was the first debate in history that was privately run by a for-profit corporation that’s making money on the debate, and that will probably get money from both of those campaigns enormous amount.”
The candidate claims he was locked out of participating. Instead, he answered the debate questions live from his own website after failing to win a spot on CNN’s debate stage.
“Over 70% of Americans want a different choice than Presidents Biden or Trump,” Kennedy said in a video he posted on X. “They’re tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.”