The overwhelming majority of people who watched the first US presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and challengers Donald Trump concluded that it was a disastrous night for the 46th US president. Biden’s voice was weak, his language confused and he gave the impression of a very elderly man who was struggling to cope under pressure. Not very presidential, people concluded.
Within hours of the debate, Democrats were queuing up to call on Biden to drop out of the race in favour of a younger candidate. Even the solidly loyal pro-Democrat, anti-Trump New York Times ran an opinion “from the editorial board”, calling on Biden to step down.
But the rules of the Democratic Party make it difficult to replace Biden as the nominee presumptive (he won’t formally be endorsed on the party’s ticket until the party’s convention in August). Having received pledges from 3,904 delegates, he is assured of the nomination, unless he decides to drop out of the race.
