STATES OF PANIC

Frantic calls for President to quit poll battle | He vows to fight on despite alarm at frailty

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

AMERICANS have been thrown into turmoil after the first presidential election debate left them with a choice between an ailing old man and a criminal.

Joe Biden lost the TV head-to-head within minutes, giving voters a glaring insight into his fragility and confirming fears he is not fit for the demands of the White House.

He lost the 90-minute battle in the early hours of yesterday morning not because of Donald Trump's performance but because of his constant gaffes and worrying loss of memory.

The 81-year-old repeatedly froze in mid-sentence while trying to make cogent replies, prompting panic among Democrats and reopening discussion of whether he should run in November's election.

But yesterday he vowed to carry on, and tried to turn his debate disaster into a rallying cry.

He told supporters in North Carolina: "I know I'm not a young man. I don't walk as easy as I used to. I don't speak as smoothly as I used to. I don't debate as well as I used to.

"But I know what I do know - I know how to tell the truth. When you get knocked down, you get back up."