Biden falters in fiery debate with Trump

ATLANTA US President Joe Biden delivered a shaky, halting performance while his Republican rival Donald Trump battered him with a series of often false attacks at their debate on Thursday, as the two oldest presidential candidates ever exchanged personal insults ahead of the November election.

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The two men traded barbs on abortion, immigration, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, their handling of the economy and even their golf games as they each sought to shake up what opinion polls show has been a virtually tied race for months.

Biden's allies tried to put a brave face on the evening, and two White House officials said Biden had a cold.

But the president's poor performance rattled his fellow Democrats and will likely deepen voter concerns that the 81-year-old is too old to serve another four-year term.

One top Biden donor, who did not want to be identified while criticizing the president, called his performance "disqualifying" and said he expected a fresh round of calls for him to step aside ahead of the party's national convention in August.

Vice President Kamala Harris, appearing on CNN after the debate, acknowledged what she called Biden's "slow start," but argued that voters should judge him and Trump based on their years in office.

"I'm not going to spend all night with you talking about the last 90 minutes when I've been watching the last three-and-a-half years of performance," she told CNN host Anderson Cooper.

A hoarse-sounding Biden stumbled over his words on several occasions during the debate's first half-hour. But he found his footing at the halfway mark when he attacked Trump over his conviction for covering up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, calling him a "felon." In response, Trump brought up the recent conviction of Biden's son, Hunter, for lying about his drug use to buy a gun.

Moments later, Biden noted that almost all of Trump's former Cabinet members, including former vice president Mike Pence, have not endorsed his campaign.