Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Challenges Biden to Prove Fitness for Office by Debating

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., testifies before a House Judiciary Select Subcommittee on the Weap
Patrick Semansky/AP
Joel B. Pollak

Democratic presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has challenged incumbent President Joe Biden to prove that he is mentally and physically fit for office by facing him in a primary debate.

In a tweet Friday, Kennedy said: “President Biden could put to rest any concerns about his fitness for office by engaging me in a vigorous, issues-oriented debate. Let’s end the speculation and let the voters see for themselves.”

He added: “#BidenDebateKennedy”.

Questions about Biden’s ability to serve a second term are being asked with greater urgency — not just by the Republican opposition, but also by journalists and a small number of Democrats. The White House press corps, normally deferential to a Democratic incumbent, has posed questions to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about whether Biden is too old to serve — queries that she has dismissed, without dispelling the concerns behind them.

The Democratic National Committee has refused to schedule debates between Biden and Kennedy, amid efforts to usher Biden toward the party’s nomination as he seeks reelection — as is common for incumbents in either party.

Though Kennedy still trails Biden by a substantial margin in many polls, his campaign events are reportedly drawing significant crowds, and he is showing momentum in early primary states such as South Carolina.

There is talk about other Democratic candidates entering the race, but time is running out to qualify.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.

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