(NewsNation) — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is providing context for controversial remarks during a recent interview on CNN.
Following up on comments he made during an interview on CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront, Kennedy, 70, told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on Tuesday that he doesn’t think the election of either President Biden or former President Trump would present a threat to American democracy.
“They cut my quote. So it looked like I was making this definitive statement that Biden was more of a threat to democracy than Trump. I never said that.”
On CNN’s website, they include a quote from Kennedy saying he could “make the argument that President Biden is the much worse threat to democracy” than Trump because Biden is “the first president in history that has used the federal agencies to censor political speech, so to censor his opponent.”
Kennedy cited recent examples of the Biden administration asking social media companies to moderate content around alleged misinformation. The Supreme Court is looking into this and is expected to issue a ruling later this year.
“I think we’re all being told each one is a threat, because it’s a way of using fear, to force us into a binary choice, where we have to vote for the lesser of two evils.” Kennedy said on “CUOMO.” “It keeps the public from considering people like me.”
Kennedy told Cuomo he’s grateful for his interview with Burnett, but he believes CNN Digital cut his interview short.
The independent candidate is doing well enough in the polls to draw the ire of Democrats concerned he’ll tip the scale in Trump’s favor.
Kennedy has been averaging close to 10 percent in polling from Decision Desk HQ, making him the highest polling third-party candidate in a presidential race since businessman Ross Perot in 1992. In a five-way race that includes Jill Stein and Cornel West, Kennedy is also at 10 percent in the RealClearPolitics national average.
Kennedy took a step toward the general election last month, when he picked Nicole Shanahan, a tech attorney and entrepreneur, as his running mate. That decision came relatively early in the general election calendar, because some states require independent candidates to have a running mate to get on the ballot.
Kennedy is a member of perhaps the nation’s most famous political dynasty. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy. His father served as attorney general and as a U.S. senator before seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Both were assassinated.
RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.
He’s a huge longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
