Biden stumbles in first presidential debate as Trump avoids key questions

 Joe Biden gave a stumbling performance in a 90-minute showdown with Donald Trump - the first televised debate of the 2024 presidential election campaign

• Democrats expressed concern at the president's performance - with party insiders saying his early answers triggered panic

• But Vice-President Kamala Harris defended Biden, saying it "was a slow start, but there was a strong finish" 

  
  
  
  Trump repeatedly attacked Biden on the economy and his foreign policy record, while Biden took aim at his rival's criminal conviction and alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election

• Trump also repeated falsehoods - from abortion, to taxes and the deficit - and at first avoided answering if he would accept the 2024 election result

• Biden called Trump a "sucker", a "loser," and said he had the "morals of an alley cat"

• Trump hit back, and said at one point: "I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence, and I don’t think he did either".

• Morning after debate, concerns about Biden remain highpublished at 11:57

  11:57

  Phil McCausland
  Reporting from New York

  It’s nearly 7:00 on the east coast of the United States, and reviews of the first presidential debate of the 2024 US election cycle are in.

  While Republican candidate Donald Trump faces criticism for the number of falsehoods he uttered, much of the attention has been focused on President Joe Biden’s poor performance.

  Biden appeared to struggle in several of his answers. As a result, concerns about his age and mental fitness have only risen further. Some Democrats have even asked after the debate whether the president could be replaced as the party’s presidential candidate.

  Speaking to the New York Times, an unnamed veteran Democrat says the president will face a "crescendo" of calls to step down. "Joe had a deep well of affection among Democrats. It has run dry.”

  Many of the president’s surrogates have come to his defence, though. Vice-President Kamala Harris told CNN “there was a slow start but there was a strong finish” by her running mate.

  Trump’s supporters, meanwhile, declared victory. House Speaker Mike Johnson called it “the biggest mismatch” in debate history.

  Stay with us for more reaction and analysis as the US wakes up - and press play below to watch one of the spikier exchanges from last night. 

• FULL REPORT AND MORE UPDATES AT: Live updates: Biden v. Trump presidential debate analysis and fact check