Pressure on Biden to go after TV horror show

Democrats' alarm after president's stumbling effort in clash with Trump

- Jitendra Joshi

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.