Trump in command, Biden falters in first US presidential debate

Panicked Democrats privately discuss replacing 81-year-old Biden with a younger candidate

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JOE Biden's presidential campaign was in full damage control mode on Friday as the president sought to recover from a disastrous debate showing with Donald Trump that triggered panic among Democrats and even murmurs about replacing the 81-year-old on the White House ticket.

The verdict on Biden's performance from party strategists and across the mainstream media was unanimous and damning, labelling the debate a "political disaster" and highlighting the "consternation" within the Democratic party ranks with the election a little more than four months away. "Democrats wake up to nightmare" ran the headline in Politico.

Thursday evening's showdown with Trump had been touted as an opportunity for Biden to allay qualms about his advanced age and fitness for office, and to publicly paint his rival as an existential threat to US democracy.