Democrats go public with panic about Biden's fitness to stay in race

But majority, including party leaders, remain publicly supportive of President

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WASHINGTON - Democratic anxiety over US President Joe Biden's fitness to run for re-election erupted into the open on July 2 in a spike of panic, as the first sitting member of Congress called on Mr Biden to withdraw and a slew of other prominent officials who have backed him vented their concerns.

One Democratic senator openly asked for assurances from the White House about Mr Biden's "condition" - "that this was a real anomaly and not just the way he is these days", Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island told a local television station, where he said he had been "horrified" by the US President's debate performance.

Another, Senator Peter Welch of Vermont, scolded the Biden campaign for "a dismissive attitude towards people who are raising questions for discussion", in an interview with news website Semafor.

And later on July 2, Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas, a veteran progressive lawmaker, issued a statement saying Mr Biden's debate performance, which he had hoped would give the US President momentum to make up for his weakness relative to former US president Donald Trump, had instead disqualified him from running again.

"I had hoped that the debate would provide some momentum to change that. It did not," Mr Doggett said. "Instead of reassuring voters, the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump's many lies."

The vast majority of Democrats, including party leaders, remain publicly supportive of Mr Biden, and the few critics who have dared to voice their concerns so far are not major players in the party with large followings.

Still, after days of privately fretting over Mr Biden's fumbling, faltering debate performance on June 27, a growing number of Democrats appeared willing to air their frustrations.