Trump: Biden ‘didn’t know what the hell he was doing’ during debate

Donald Trump claimed Joe Biden “didn’t know what the hell he was doing” during their debate on Thursday night, in his first public comments since the showdown.

Mr Biden struggled to articulate himself over the course of 90 minutes, frequently mumbling, coughing and launching into rambling answers before being cut off by moderators.

Trump taunted the US President when he addressed a rally of supporters in Virginia on Friday afternoon. “He studied very hard, he studied so hard that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing,” he claimed.

The White House said on Thursday that the Democrat had caught a cold during practice sessions at Camp David, the president’s country retreat.

Trump claimed to have won a “big victory” against Mr Biden despite accepting the debate, hosted by US broadcaster CNN, on the Democrat’s terms.

“He got the debate rules that he wanted, he got the date that he wanted, he got the network that he wanted... no amount of rest or reading could help,” he said.

However, he downplayed suggestions that Mr Biden could be replaced by another candidate - such as Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California - because “they don’t poll as well as this guy”.

The US President has been told he has a week to win over Democrats or they will move to oust him after a disastrous performance in the first presidential debate.

Mr Biden admitted that he does not “debate as well” as he used to but insisted he could still win the election in his first public appearance since his disastrous head-to-head with Trump, in a rally earlier on Friday.

In front of supporters in North Carolina, the US President gave an energetic performance in a defiant display after Democrats urged him to step aside in the aftermath of the debate  - but was occasionally forced to stop and cough.

“I am here in North Carolina for one reason - because I intend to win this state in November... we win here, we win the election,” he told the crowd in the battleground state.

Mr Biden went on to declare: “I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to.

“I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know - I know how to tell the truth.”

Referencing his rival’s conviction last month in a “hush money” case, the Democrat added: “Donald Trump isn’t just a convicted felon, Donald Trump is a one-man crime wave.”

Barack Obama, the former US president, conceded his former running mate had endured “a bad debate night”.

“But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself,” he added.

“Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit. Last night didn’t change that.”

You can see this morning’s coverage of the debate as it happened.

10:35 PM BST

That’s all for now

Thanks for following our live blog of the fallout from Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s debate. This live blog is now closed.

10:04 PM BST

Pictured: Crowd cheers and waves signs during Trump rally

10:01 PM BST

CNN ‘treated me very fairly’, Trump says

Donald Trump - uncharacteristically - praises CNN, just as he seems poised to launch into an attack of their coverage of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

“I shouldn’t knock CNN because I actually though they treated me very fairly last night, very professional both of them.

“They abused me for years, but last night what happened? They treated me very fairly.”

In the days leading up to the debate, Trump repeatedly assailed Jake Tapper, one of the moderators, as “Fake Tapper” and claimed he was biased.

09:39 PM BST

Biden ‘went to Camp David for a place to sleep’

Donald Trump starts reminiscing about Camp David in what intially looks like another attack on Joe Biden, who prepared for Thursday’s debate at the retreat.

The Republican says he is not a “rustic person” but said the location was “very seductive, you go up these log cabins - they’re so beautiful, the best”.

He returns to his taunting of Mr Biden, claiming he would hide away in the cabins because he wanted a “place to sleep”.

Imitating the Democrat, he shouts: “Leave me alone, I want to sleep, I’m studying for the debate. I want to sleep and study: that’s all I want to for 10 days while the world is going to hell.”

09:31 PM BST

Trump: Biden uses long words - but doesn’t know what they mean

Donald Trump has made another swipe at Joe Biden’s intelligence, claiming he “loves” to use the word “existential” without knowing what it means.

“He said last night, you know he loves this word - ‘It’s an existential threat. Existential,’” he told a rally in Virginia.

“He has no idea what the hell the word means, I was going to ask him. But he said last night that global warming was an existential threat.”

09:26 PM BST

America will ‘fire’ Biden in November, Trump claims

“In November the people of Virginia, the people of America are going to tell Crooked Joe Biden: You’re fired. Get out,” Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters, echoing his Apprentice catchphrase.

“We don’t want you,” he added, for good measure.

09:13 PM BST

Trump: Democrats won’t get rid of Biden

Donald Trump says he does not believe Joe Biden will be forced to stand down as presidential candidate, claiming his potential replacements are even less popular.

“He does better in polls than any of the Democrats they’re talking about,” he says.

“These polls come out with some of the names... like Gavin Newscum [Newsom] - he can’t run California, he’s one of the worst governors.

“They don’t poll as well as this guy.”

09:09 PM BST

Trump: America can’t survive four years of Biden

Donald Trump continues lashing out at Joe Biden.

“The question every voter should be asking themselves today is not whether Joe Biden can survive a 90 minute debate performance, but whether America could survive four more years of crooked Joe Biden in the White House,” he says.

“We’ve never been so close to World War III before, and if it happens, it will be a war like no other… I know more about weapons than just about anybody.”

“Last night was a defeat not only for Biden for for the entire radical left Democrat Party and the fake news media,” Trump adds.

“The Joe Biden onstage yesterday was the same Joe Biden who gave us open borders, crushing inflation... nobody respects him, foreign leaders don’t respect him.”

09:03 PM BST

‘Biden got everything he wanted - and still lost’

Trump continues, speaking of Joe Biden: “He got the debate rules that he wanted, he got the date that he wanted, he got the network that he wanted... no amount of rest or reading could help.”

“Joe Biden’s problem is not his age... he’s got no problem other than his competence,” he says.

09:02 PM BST

Trump: Biden ‘didn’t know what the hell he was doing’

Donald Trump launches immediately into the debate. “Did anybody last night watch a thing called the debate?” he asks, prompting cheers from the crowd.

“That was a big one but as you saw on television that night we had a big victory against a man that really is looking to destroy our country,” he says.

Trump added: “Biden spent the entire week at Camp David, resting, working and studying. He studied very hard, he studied so hard that he didn’t know what the hell he was doing.”

08:58 PM BST

Trump his way onstage for Virginia rally

Donald Trump has made his way onto the stage for his rally in Virginia, to the familiar strains of Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA”.

08:56 PM BST

Joe Biden lands in New York for Stonewall event

Joe Biden and his wife, First Lady Jill Biden, have landed in New York and recently disembarked Air Force One. They are expected to attend an opening ceremony for the Stonewall National Monument visitor centre.

08:44 PM BST

Biden comms director: No conversations about replacing candidate

Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign’s communications director, denied reports that internal conversations were taking place about Joe Biden making way for another Democrat.

He added that Mr Biden would be at the next presidential debate in the autumn. “Joe Biden will be there on Sept 10,” he said. We’ll see what Donald Trump does.”

08:41 PM BST

Biden ‘had a sore throat - it’s not unusual’

Joe Biden, who was hoarse and struggled to make himself audible during Thursday’s debate, apparently developed a “sore throat” during practice sessions at Camp David.

Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said: “He had a sore throat. Once he knew he had a cold and a sore throat, he tested for Covid - he tested negative.

“He had a strong debate prep week, and he got a cold. It’s not something unusual.”

The White House had previously briefed that Mr Biden had caught a cold on Thursday evening, while the debate was still underway.

08:28 PM BST

Pictures: Trump supporters gather for Virginia rally after debate

08:21 PM BST

Obama: Biden had a bad night but Trump ‘lies through his teeth’

Joe Biden had a “bad debate” on Thursday night but he is still a better choice than Donald Trump, Barack Obama has said.

“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know,” the former president, who is widely acknowledged to have lost his first presidential debate with Mitt Romney in 2012, said.

“But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself.

“Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his teeth for his own benefit.

“Last night didn’t change that, and it’s why so much is at stake in November.”

08:17 PM BST

‘I don’t debate as smoothly as I used to’, Biden admits

Joe Biden admitted that he does not “debate as well” as he used to but insisted he could still win the election in his first public appearance since his disastrous head-to-head with Donald Trump.

In front of supporters in North Carolina, the US President gave an energetic performance in a defiant display after Democrats urged him to step aside in the aftermath of the debate  - but was occasionally forced to stop and cough.

“I am here in North Carolina for one reason - because I intend to win this state in November... we win here, we win the election,” he told the crowd in the battleground state.

Mr Biden went on to declare: “I know I’m not a young man. I don’t walk as easy as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to.

“I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know - I know how to tell the truth.”

He claimed Trump set “a new record for the most lies told during a single debate... he lied about the economy he created, he lied about the pandemic he botched, killing millions of people.”

Referencing his rival’s conviction last month in a “hush money” case, the Democrat added: “Donald Trump isn’t just a convicted felon, Donald Trump is a one-man crime wave.”

07:54 PM BST

Trump heads to Chesapeake for Virginia rally

07:36 PM BST

50 million watched Trump-Biden debate

Early data suggests that around 50 million Americans watched last night’s encounter between Joe Biden and Donald Trump - the biggest audience for a broadcast excluding sporting events.

However, the total is only two-thirds of the first debate between Trump and Biden in 2020. Their showdown on Thursday was their third debate.

07:29 PM BST

Reports: Jill Biden thought husband was poor on debate stage

Jill Biden believes her husband performed poorly at last night’s debate - but does not believe he should stand aside for another Democrat, the New York Times reports.

She appeared to praise his showing when she spoke alongside him at a North Carolina rally today, telling the crowd: “What you saw last night on the debate stage was Joe Biden -  a president with integrity and character.”

At a campaign event shortly after the debate, she told her husband: “Joe, you did such a great job. You answered every question, you knew all the facts.”

07:15 PM BST

Trump to hold rally shortly after Biden

Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia at 8pm BST (3pm ET) - shortly after Joe Biden held his own event with supporters in North Carolina. We’ll bring you all the updates when that happens.

06:41 PM BST

Biden finishes remarks

Joe Biden ends an energetic display at his North Carolina rally and leaves the stage, as Tom Petty’s “I won’t back down” blares out.

06:34 PM BST

Biden has got his mojo back

The man standing in front of a crowd in Raleigh, North Carolina, is not the same man that appeared on the debate stage last night, Tony Diver writes.

The president seems to be trying to inject his speech with much more energy than he usually would -- in an attempt to dispel the idea he is feeble and defeated.

“We’re not gonna let Donald Trump attack our democracy again,” he said to cheers. “I don’t think so.”

06:34 PM BST

Trump was responsible for Jan 6, says Biden

Returning to another theme of yesterday’s debate, Mr Biden said Donald Trump was responsible for the Jan 6 riots at the Capitol, Tony Diver writes. Trump denied his involvement last night on the debate stage.

“We all saw it with our own eyes!” Mr Biden said. “We watched it on television. We saw thousands, at his direction, attack the Capitol.

“We saw police being attacked, the Capitol being ransacked. A mob hunting for Speaker Pelosi, gallows literally set up for Mike Pence.

“And he sat at the table in the private dining room by my Oval Office. He sat there for three hours watching TV. He did not a single thing to stop it. Nothing.”

06:25 PM BST

Biden: Trump is a one-man crime wave

Joe Biden continues: “The only convicted criminal on that stage last night was Donald Trump... Donald Trump isn’t just a convicted felon, Donald Trump is a one-man crime wave.”

“He’s got more trials coming up,” Mr Biden says, as the crowd bursts into a chant of “Lock him up.”

06:23 PM BST

Trump ‘set a record for most lies during a debate’

Joe Biden says he spent 90 minutes debating a man “with the morals of an alley cat” as he turns to last night’s debate with Donald Trump.

He claims the Republican set “a new record for the most lies told during a single debate... he lied about the economy he created, he lied about the pandemic he botched, killing millions of people.”

06:22 PM BST

Biden: We’ll stand up to dictators - unlike Trump

In his first reference to Donald Trump, Joe Biden says: “Unlike the other guy we’re going to stand up to dictators like Putin because America bows to no one, no one, no one ever.”

“We’re going to preserve protect and defend our democracy before more than anything else, that’s what’s at stake in this election.”

06:20 PM BST

Biden defies critics, says: I will win the next election

Joe Biden continues: “I am in here in North Carolina for one reason - because I intend to win this state in November... we win here, we win the election.”

He has not yet addressed his debate performance, which has been widely criticised by commentators and Democrats alike.

He appears to be coughing occasionally and clearing his throat. The White House said yesterday he had come down with a cold during debate preparation.

06:19 PM BST

Biden energetic as he addresses supporters

“Hello, hello, hello,” Joe Biden shouts energetically to the crowd of supporters who have gathered in North Carolina.

His voice seems louder and more distinct than yesterday’s debate, where he frequently mumbled and struggled to make himself heard.

06:16 PM BST

Biden speaks at North Carolina rally

Joe Biden has begun addressing his North Carolina, in his first public remarks since yesterday’s debate.

06:12 PM BST

Biden ‘told the truth in debate while Trump told lies’

Jill Biden says: “Over the last few years Joe has helped heal our country helping us all recover from the chaos the last administration. We don’t choose our chapter in history but we can choose who leads us through it.

“There is no one that I would rather have sitting in the Oval Office right now than my husband.

“What you saw last night on the debate stage was Joe Biden -  a president with integrity and character who told the truth, and Donald Trump told lie after lie after lie.”

06:10 PM BST

Jill Biden addresses crowd before Biden speech

Jill Biden, the First Lady, is the first at the podium, while Joe Biden stands a little way off to her right. The crowd breaks into a chant of “four more years”.

06:08 PM BST

Joe Biden heads onto stage

Joe Biden is now making his way onto a stage at the rally in North Carolina.

06:07 PM BST

‘Joe Biden saved this nation’

Roy Cooper turns his speech to the US President. “When the fate of this nation was hanging in the balance... Joe Biden saved this nation with his victory in 2020,” he says.

“And that’s going to take all of us, guys. Because if he wins North Carolina, if Joe Biden wins North Carolina, he is president of the United States once more.”

He praises Mr Biden as a “man of integrity”, contrasting him to Donald Trump - a “convicted felon”.

06:03 PM BST

Biden to address North Carolina rally soon

Joe Biden should be taking to the rally stage soon. Roy Cooper, the North Carolina governor, is currently warming up the crowd.

At one point, they break into a chant of “lock him up” about Donald Trump - echoing a chant by supporters of the Republican candidate from 2016, when it was used against Hillary Clinton.

05:48 PM BST

Biden ‘should have been sitting down for debate’

Alan Schroeder, a debate historian, criticised Joe Biden’s advisers for not taking “precautions” that could have limited the fallout from his performance on Thursday.

“Perhaps these advisers, because they see Biden all the time, did not realize the extent of his deterioration,” he said.

“At a minimum Biden’s debate advisers could have taken precautions they did not take: having the candidates seated at a table rather than standing at lecterns, limiting the debate to one hour, omitting closing statements (which have to be memorised).”

Prof Schroeder also suggested that Mr Biden would have been more comfortable in a “town hall” event, answering questions from an audience rather than moderators.

05:40 PM BST

Historian: Biden debate performance was the worst in US history

Joe Biden gave the “worst” presidential debate performance in US history on Thursday night, according to a debate historian.

Professor Alan Schroeder said that a second showdown with Donald Trump was now “highly unlikely”, and that the US President would “never” be able to rehabilitate his image with voters.

“Biden gave what will go down as the worst general election debate performance in US history,” he said.

“Worse than Nixon in 1960, Reagan in 1984, Trump in 2020. For decades this debate will be studied as a textbook example of how - and when - not to debate.”

05:30 PM BST

Trump: No one could have done better than Biden

Donald Trump said he believes Joe Biden will not end his re-election bid and claimed that he would “beat” any Democrat who faced him on the debate stage.

“They wouldn’t have done any better,” the former president said. “No one else would have been better.”

It is possible that the Republican does not want to land a knock-out blow on his opponent four months out from the election, while the Democrats - in theory - have time to field another candidate.

05:25 PM BST

Biden aide: We are in a dark place

Numerous aides in Joe Biden’s camp have dismissed suggestions that the US President is wavering on his re-election bid.

CNN reports that they noted Mr Biden had a busy travel schedule over the coming weeks, and that fundraising in the wake of the debate had been strong - although this cannot yet be independently verified.

However, one adviser conceded: “We are in a dark place, but we’re moving forward.”

05:19 PM BST

Biden ‘gets garbled when there’s a time limit’

An “over-prepared” Joe Biden had too much to say and not enough time to say it in the presidential debate, according to a politics professor.

Danielle Vinson said the warning signs could be seen as early as Mr Biden’s performance in the 2020 debates, where the format was less constricted.

“He had too much information and too many facts and figures running around in his head, and they got muddled when he faced the limited response times,” she said.

“In 2020 primary debates, he didn’t always do well with the short times for response.  He is lucid, but he isn’t quick on his feet like he used to be.

“He takes longer to get things out, and when faced with time limits, he starts garbling things.”

Prof Vinson also cast doubt on whether Mr Biden, who dominated the Democratic primary earlier this year, could be forced out by his party’s establishment. A push would need to come from his “immediate family”, she said.

05:07 PM BST

Biden ‘wasn’t great but beat Trump on values’, says Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi has offered lukewarm support for Joe Biden, making her the latest in a string of senior Democratic figures to shore up his position as presidential nominee.

The former House Speaker and veteran congresswoman, when asked if the Democrats needed a new candidate, said: “No. From a performance standpoint it wasn’t great, but from a values standpoint it far outshone the other guy.”

04:47 PM BST

Sources: Democrat establishment won’t force out Biden

Senior Democratic figures are not planning an intervention to press Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race, according to multiple sources cited by US media.

Instead, their plan appears to be to let the dust settle from Mr Biden’s widely-criticised debate performance and assess the strength of his campaign in the coming weeks. Election day is almost four months away.

They are said to be focused on winning a majority in the House of Representatives and Senate to take control of Congress in November’s elections.

Asked about Mr Biden’s display on Thursday, Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said: “We are going to win back the House in November.”

04:40 PM BST

Trump team poke fun at Biden gaffes in new advert

Donald Trump’s campaign has released a 95-second clip of Joe Biden’s gaffes, slip-ups and pauses in last night’s debate - while the Republican stands by wordlessly.

04:34 PM BST

‘An old man on life support is less dangerous than Trump’

Joe Biden’s campaign has been told it needs to make the case that “an old man on life support is less dangerous” than Donald Trump.

Danielle Vinson, a  professor of politics at Furman University in South Carolina, urged Mr Biden’s team to send out Kamala Harris, the vice president, and Gavin Newsom, the California Governor, to push his message in the remaining months of the contest.

She told The Telegraph: “The message doesn’t really need to be that Biden is fine. It needs to be some version of an old man on life support is less dangerous to the country and the world than Trump.

“A lot of young people and independents may be contemplating staying home after last night, which is a big problem for Biden.  The surrogates can help with that.”

04:22 PM BST

Biden: I did well - despite my sore throat

Joe Biden said it was “hard to debate a liar” in what appeared to be stuttering remarks made following the presidential debate. The transcript of his exchange with reporters, released by the White House, reads as follows:

04:18 PM BST

Biden claims Trump ‘couldn’t stop lying’ during debate

As the Trump campaign hammer Joe Biden for his verbal slip-ups during the debate, the US President’s team is attacking the Republican candidate as a serial liar.

“This guy just can’t stop lying,” Mr Biden wrote on social media.

His post was accompanied by footage of Trump claiming, on the debate stage, that the US was “respected all over the world” during the Jan 6 riots, and denying an affair with an adult film star.

At one point, an arrow pointed at the former president with the caption: “Convicted criminal”.

04:04 PM BST

‘Only Democratic establishment can bring down Biden’

Julián Castro, who debated with Joe Biden in 2019 as a contender for the Democratic nomination, said his head-to-head with Donald Trump was a “cascade of mistakes”.

“The Democratic establishment. at Biden’s urging, decided to go all in with Biden,” Mr Castro, who endorsed Elizabeth Warren after leaving the primary race, told the New York Times.

“Once Biden made decision to run, the Democratic side closed off all other options.

“And undoing that four months before the campaign is something that only that establishment is going to be able to do.”

03:59 PM BST

Biden under pressure to quit after ‘painful’ debate performance

Joe Biden is facing calls to stand aside as the Democratic presidential nominee after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.

A group of Democrat congressmen are discussing the need for a new nominee after watching the “disaster” unfold, The New York Times reported, while potential replacements including Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, are being implored to step in.

Mr Biden gave a stuttering and incoherent performance at the debate, hosted by CNN in Atlanta, as he struggled to respond to questions about policy and often trailed off mid-sentence.

David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, told the network: “It’s kind of a Defcon 1 moment.”

Read the full article from Tony Diver here.

03:49 PM BST

Senior Democrat backs Biden despite anxieties in party

Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, has said he is backing Joe Biden to continue his re-election bid.

“Do you think that President Biden should step down after the debate performance last night?” he was asked by a reporter, and responded: “No.”

Mr Jeffries does not appear to have made a more substantial statement on his backing for the beleagured US President.

It remains unclear whether his endorsement will quell the panic in the Democrats’ ranks that broke out during Mr Biden’s stumbling debate performance last night.

US media reports there are active discussions among some congressmen about pushing to replace their candidate.  One said they wanted to “jump off a bridge” after the event.

03:36 PM BST

Can the Democrats jettison Biden before the election?

Joe Biden’s disastrous performance in the first presidential debate has sparked panic among Democrats, with senior party leaders casting around for the best way to replace him as the party’s nominee.

The US President took on Donald Trump in a 90-minute clash that saw the 81-year-old freeze several times as he struggled to address questions from the moderators.

But it is close to impossible, at this stage, for Democrats to compel Mr Biden to stand aside.

Mr Biden won almost all the delegates from the 50 states that held Democratic primaries to choose the candidate for the 2024 elections.

He can only be replaced if he chooses to exit the race himself.

Read the full explainer from Rachel Slater here.

03:31 PM BST

Trump: I love CNN

Donald Trump has been full of praise for one of his least-favourite broadcasters since his performance in last night’s debate.

“I love CNN!” a message sent out to supporters of the former president reads. “They gave me the opportunity to wipe the floor with Biden.”

Trump appeared to signal before the debate that he would attack the broadcaster as a biased organisation, repeatedly labelling Jake Tapper - one of its moderators - “Fake Tapper”.

In the end, the former president avoided picking a fight with the TV hosts as he did in the first head-to-head with Joe Biden in 2020.

03:24 PM BST

Biden’s election chances plummet - while Newsom surges

Joe Biden’s chances of remaining in office as president have collapsed overnight, according to betting averages from RealClearPolitics.

Donald Trump was already the odds-on favourite to return to the White House, but his 16 point lead over the Democrat on June 26 has now more than doubled to an almost-36 point margin.

At the same time, Gavin Newsom’s chances have surged.

Bookies now give the California Governor a 10.8 per cent chance of becoming the next president - more than half that of Mr Biden, even though he is not even on the ballot.

03:17 PM BST

Biden’s favourite news host turns on him

Joe Biden’s favourite news anchor, Joe Scarborough, has questioned his decision to stay in the race after his performance in the debate on Thursday night, Tony Diver writes.

Mr Scarborough hosts the television programme ‘Morning Joe’, which the US president watches every day on MSNBC.

This morning’s episode featured a monologue on the president, in which Mr Scarborough praised him for his work in office but questioned his status as the nominee.

“If he was CEO and he turned in a performance like that, would any Fortune 500 corporation in America keep him as CEO?” he said.

“These are hard questions, but the fact is, friends, failure is just not an option. We know that Joe Biden can govern…he can run the White House. He can run the country. But can he run for president in 2024?”

03:16 PM BST

Trump was ‘full of lies and riddles and innuendos’

Geoff Duncan, the former Republican Georgia lieutenant governor, said both Donald Trump and Joe Biden were “at the edge of the cliff” with their parties ahead of last night’s debate, Susie Coen writes.

“If Donald Trump would have had a horrible night last night, there would’ve been some wrangling here with Republicans talking about what maybe it would look like to have somebody else be the nominee”, Mr Duncan, who is backing Mr Biden in the election, told CNN.

He added: “But he didn’t. He had a great night as far as delivery. Now the content was full of lies and riddles and innuendos.”

03:14 PM BST

Welcome

Hello and welcome to the live blog if you’re just joining us. Benedict Smith here. We’ll be bringing you all the coverage as Democrats and allies of Joe Biden turn on the US President following his debate performance last night.

03:04 PM BST

Clinton doubles down in her support for Biden

Hillary Clinton has spoken out today to declare her support for President Joe Biden has not wavered in the fallout of his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump.

“The choice in this election remains very simple,” she wrote on X. “It’s a choice between someone who cares about you—your rights, your prospects, your future—versus someone who’s only in it for himself.

“I’ll be voting Biden.”

02:57 PM BST

Shares in Trump Media climb post-debate

Shares in Trump Media and Technology, the company behind Donald Trump’s social media app Truth Social, have climbed by more than 10pc after Thursday night’s US election debate, writes James Titcomb.

The company’s shares are seen as loosely linked to Mr Trump’s chances of returning to the White House.

He uses Truth Social as his primary mouthpiece after being banned from Twitter in 2021, and his return to the presidency would be likely to mean more people using the service to follow Mr Trump.

The share price rise also delivers a financial boost to the former President, who owns a 65pc stake in Truth Social. Friday’s 10pc rise makes his shareholding worth $4.65 billion.

02:50 PM BST

‘Trumpocalypse II’

A Democrat donor adviser called Joe Biden’s age his “greatest electoral weakness” as he warned that the US was heading towards a “Trumpocalypse II’.

Dmitri Mehlhorn, political advisor to Reid Hoffman, one of the party’s biggest donors, said on Friday morning: “Joe had a horrible night, cementing concerns about his age, his greatest electoral weakness.

“Our odds of Trumpocalypse II just materially increased.”

However, Mr Mehlhorn said that the Democrats must exercise calm. “We all need to take a deep breath. Reactive or panicky moves rarely succeed,” he told the New York Times.

02:11 PM BST

Trump shows off his swing after golf squabble with Biden

Donald Trump took to the internet to show off his swing after squabbling with Joe Biden over who was better at golf during in the midst of their heated head-to-head on CNN last night.

The argument broke out after questions were raised concerning the fitness of both candidates, who have a combined age of 159. Trump claimed to have won two golf club championships, which led Mr Biden to suggest a driving contest.

They then argued over their handicaps before conceding they were acting like “children”.

Just hours after the debate wrapped up, Trump posted on his own social media platform, Truth Social, a montage of some of his golfing highlights and top shots of him action.

A caption on one clip reads: “President Trump sinks a birdie on 18 to advance to the club championship!”

Read more about their bicker over golf.

01:56 PM BST

Biden aides ‘update LinkedIn profiles’

President Joe Biden’s political aides reportedly found his performance in Thursday’s TV debate so concerning they rushed to amend their online job profiles.

Sources said they spent last night updating their LinkedIns “just in case,” Politico reports.

01:54 PM BST

The world reacts to the US election debate

The world tuned in to Thursday’s US presidential debate and collectively cringed at what unfolded.

Foreign officials and diplomats have since voiced their disappointment and even alarm at Joe Biden’s performance.

Kunihiko Miyake, a former Japanese diplomat, said that Mr Trump “didn’t win” the debate, but that Mr Biden “may have imploded” and the world must now be “much more prepared” for the possibility of Mr Trump returning to the White House.

A Western diplomat described the debate to Politico as a “turning point” in the future of Mr Biden’s election campaign.

A senior German official, Michael Link, urged the Democrats on Friday to replace Joe Biden within just a few weeks.

In Sydney, several Australian officials and experts attended a workshop titled “Trump 2.0” while the debate aired.

“The overwhelming feeling from today is that it was a disaster for Biden,” said Peter Dean, a professor at the United States Studies Centre in Sydney, adding the “smart play” is to prepare for Trump’s return to office.

01:53 PM BST

Welcome to our afternoon coverage of the Trump v Biden debate fallout

Hello and welcome to our afternoon coverage.

Joe Biden’s chances of beating Donald Trump to a second term in the White House look to have taken a huge hit after his performance in the televised debate.

He is facing calls to stand aside for another Democrat after he struggled to respond to questions and often trailed off mid-sentence.

Any possibility of Mr Biden deciding to give up the campaign for a different candidates would rely entirely on him choosing to withdraw.

He said he believed he did well during the clash with Mr Trump.

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