The election in the United States|Reactions to the debate

Obama defends Biden: "Bad debates happen"

Former US President Barack Obama defends Joe Biden after the storm of criticism that followed Thursday's presidential debate.

"Bad debate nights happen. Believe me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary people all his life and someone who only cares about himself," Obama writes in a post on X.

The ex-president is referring to a debate during his re-election campaign in 2012 when he underestimated his Republican opponent Mitt Romney, writes the New York Times. He too was then criticized by his own party but managed to perform much better in subsequent debates and win back their trust.

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New York Times: Joe Biden should not run for re-election

The greatest service President Joe Biden can do his country is to announce that he is not running for re-election. That's what the New York Times editorial board writes.

The leader states that if the election was between Trump and Biden, the newspaper would wholeheartedly support Biden, but that the voters deserve a better choice than that.

"There is no reason for the party to risk the country's stability and security by forcing voters to choose between Mr. Trump's and Mr. Biden's respective weaknesses. It is too wild a gamble to hope that Americans will indulge Biden's age and the frailty they can see with their own eyes".

Joe Biden has admitted that his performance in the debate during the night of Friday was not his strongest, but believes that he will continue to fight to become the country's next president.
The election in the United States|The debate about Biden's age

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Analysis: "Biden's ego could lead to a win for Trump"

Reputable media such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, along with political commentators and experts, have questioned whether Joe Biden should really run for a new term after his criticized performance in the presidential debate. Among the people who want Biden to step aside are the Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman and the author Tom Friedman.

But even if Biden likely cares what these people think, that doesn't mean he will take their advice, writes Politico's John F Harris.

"On the contrary. It may well be that the harder Biden is pushed, the more determined he will be to defy the skeptics. As part of his lifelong competition with the elite,” Harris writes.

Sky News' James Matthews writes that there is concern that "stubbornness and selfishness" will result in Donald Trump winning the election.
"It would not be a pretty legacy for a president who defines the November election as a defense of democracy and himself as a defender," he writes.