TRANSCRIPT
U-S President Joe Biden has delivered a defiant speech in Raleigh, North Carolina one day after a poorly-received performance during a debate with 78-year-old former President Donald Trump.
"Folks, let me close with this. I know I'm not a young man, to state the obvious. Well, I know. (AUDIENCE CHEERS) I don't walk as easily 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. (AUDIENCE CHEERS) I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. I know how to get things done. I know, like millions of Americans know, when you get knocked down, you get back up."
Mr Biden's verbal stumbles and occasionally meandering responses in the debate heightened voter concerns that he might not be fit to serve another four-year term.
"TRUMP: Fewer people are coming across the border illegally, that's better than when he left office. And I'm going to continue to move until we get to the total ban on the total initiative, relative to what we can do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers.
PRESENTER: President Trump.
TRUMP: I really don't know what he said at the end of this and I don't think he knows what he said either."
Speaking in Las Vegas. Vice-President Kamala Harris has defended Mr Biden.
“Last night, President Joe Biden and Donald Trump had their first debate. And earlier today, the president said himself it was not his best performance.”
The Vice-President made it clear that the Biden team is confident they will serve another term in the White House - and she did not shy away from calling out what she says are Mr Trump's falsehoods.
“And we’re going to win. Because for all the punditry last night, our president made clear there is a contrast between someone who lies and someone who leads. ... Let’s start with the thing we have always known. Donald Trump is unburdened by the truth. It’s not a burden he carries.”
She then went on to address several of Mr Trump’s claims.
“He said the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville was, quote, fabricated. Well, let us speak the truth. That’s a lie. He said the mob he incited at the United States Capitol on January 6th was only a, quote, small number of people who were, quote, ushered in by the police, a lie. … Friends, most of us agree. In a real leader character matters more than style. And Donald Trump simply does not have the character to be president of the United States.”
Mr Trump, for his part, was triumphant at his rally at Chesapeake in Virginia.
"Crooked Joe Biden spent the entire week at Camp David resting, working, studying, he studied very hard. He studied so hard that he didn't know what the hell he was doing. He got the debate rules that he wanted. He got the date that he wanted. He got the network that he wanted, with the moderators he wanted. No amount of rest or rigging could help him defend his atrocious record."
He says the Democratic Party does not have a viable candidate to oppose him in November's election.
"Many people are saying that after last night's performance that Joe Biden is leaving the race. But the fact is, I don't really believe that because he does better in polls than any of the Democrats they're talking about. These polls come out with some of the names being like Gavin Newsom. He can't run in California. He's one of the worst governors."
But, what do ordinary Americans think?
Kareem Abdullah is a U-S citizen who lives in Detroit, Michigan.
He works with people with mental health and substance abuse disorders.
He says it was clear Mr Biden was having a difficult time debating Mr Trump.
"I know just from what I watched, he was struggling. It was hard to just see this old guy up there barely being able to talk. And I felt like, honestly, it sucks because we have two candidates that, you know, a lot of people don't want to vote for either one of them. And if you don't vote for Biden, you're stuck with Trump, and if you vote for Trump, you're going to see people riding around treating the American flag like it's a racist symbol."
Rafael Cardozo is a Miami resident and Trump supporter.
"So, I think that, Trump won that debate. I think that, in this moment is not to see who is stronger or not, but, I think that Trump is in good condition. And, I think that, he knows how to make deals with other countries. That's what we need, we don't need any more wars because the American people living in struggle, you know what I mean?"
Science teacher Jessica Diaz says the war on Gaza and President Biden's support for Israel, has turned her into a Trump supporter.
"My mind was made up before the debate about Biden. He hasn't been my candidate since his response to the October 7th events. I think he's been really one-sided in his support of Israel and, yeah, I he lost my vote since then. So the debate wasn't really something that was going to push me one way or the other. It's been his lack of action against genocide."
Chicago-based Mark Schoen is a Biden supporter, who is now frightened.
"It was tragic. I had high hopes that Biden would make a good showing, and I support Biden. And now I don't know what to think. I mean, I don't know if he's suitable to be running. And I know Donald Trump isn't suitable to be running. So I feel this country is in a real tragic state. And I'm I've never. I'm 75 years old. I have voted in every election. And I always knew who I was going to vote for. Now, I don't know what to do. And I'm quite scared."
The next Biden-Trump debate is scheduled for the 10th of September, hosted by U-S broadcaster A-B-C News.
Mr Biden's campaign team says he is not stepping aside from his re-election bid - and his campaign says he plans to participate in the September debate.
