Democrats, shocked by Joe Biden's dismal debate performance, have urged the US president to be transparent about his mental fitness as he faced the first call from his own side to drop out of the election.
Congressman Lloyd Doggett became the first Democratic lawmaker to publicly call on Biden on Tuesday to make way for another candidate, saying he was hopeful the president would "make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw."
Nancy Pelosi, a former House speaker and a grandee of the Democratic Party, said in her own statement it was "legitimate" to ask whether Biden's debate disaster was indicative of a deeper problem rather than a one-off.
She praised Biden's vision and "strategic thinking" in an interview with cable network MSNBC — but admitted he had had a "bad night" and said it was fair to raise the mental acuity of "both candidates."
Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse also asked for reassurances, saying voters needed to know there would be no repeat of Biden's sub-par showing.
Whitehouse, of Rhode Island, told WPRI-TV he was "pretty horrified" by the president's performance during the 90-minute CNN match-up, watched by more than 50 million Americans.
Biden has not given a live interview or held a press conference since the debacle, meaning he has not had to give unscripted comments under pressure again.
ABC News announced that he would be interviewed by the network on Friday, with the first clips released that day, before the full interview airs Sunday.
Cold and hoarse
The White House said it acknowledges Americans' feelings and concerns about President Joe Biden's poor performance during last week's debate with Donald Trump.
The president is reportedly meeting Democratic governors and representatives on Wednesday.
"We understand the concerns. We get it. The president did not have a great night" in the debate, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, noting that Biden had a cold and was hoarse.
She said the president knows how to do a job, and his record has been unprecedented in delivering to the American people.
"Again, we understand we're not taking away from what you all saw, what the American people saw. We understand it was a bad night. It is not uncommon for incumbents to have a bad night on their first debate, and we are going to continue to do the work that we have been doing on behalf of the American people," she added.
The polling margins between the president and his Republican predecessor have been razor-thin and almost static for months, with Trump showing a slight advantage in the all-important swing states.
➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
