JOE BIDEN was under pressure today to stand down as the Democratic choice for November's election after a "historically bad" debate performance against Donald Trump in which the elderly president repeatedly lost his train of thought.
The 81-year-old Mr Biden's forgetfulness and verbal stumbles during last night's debate - one of two scheduled before the election - left Mr Trump, 78, looking forceful in comparison.
The Republican was able to glide over his unenviable status as the first White House candidate to have a criminal conviction. He relied on falsehood and distortion about his time in office, including a renewed defence of the mob of his supporters who stormed Congress after the last election.
The president's voice was hoarse and often tailed off as he struggled to remember facts and figures during the 90-minute debate on CNN, doing nothing to assure critics and Democrats who worry about the cognitive abilities of the oldest president on record.
Mr Biden was later said by his camp to have a cold and his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, did her best to paper over the cracks. "Yes, there was a slow start but there was a strong finish," she said.
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Denne historien er fra June 28, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
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Arteta's five-year Lewis-Skelly plan pays out in gold
Teenage star's precocious talent and fearless nature justifies the hype in breakthrough season
The Hill Garden and Pergola
Can heritage be romantic? Without a doubt.
Reallife calling: don't let AI suck the love out of online dating
In Spike Jonze's 2013 film, Her, Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with the AI chatbot inside his phone.
Why Space X could destroy the fragile Musk-Trump bromance
The race to Mars could make or break Elon Musk's special relationship with the President
At home with...Sarah CorbettWinder
The stylist is creating a playful escape for her family
How a cancelled cult designer rose again
The rise, fall and rise of Art School's Eden Loweth
The bill wasn't the only hard thing to swallow
Let's get to it: the bill was a horror. £309 for two. For a night of fried chicken and snails and no pudding. For God's sake.
Is there anyone left in London who hasn't got ADHD?
We're reaching a saturation point of over-diagnosis and the internet is to blame, say psychiatrists
Sophistication andwitare in short supplyin this tired sequel
To paraphrase her own mode of self-criticism, this latest instalment in the saga of hapless London singleton Bridget Jones is v v poor.
facing Oh, baby! London's the mother of all problems
We're having fewer and fewer children. Why, and what does it mean for our city?
