Joe Biden’s press conference in which he insisted he was still fit to run for US president has failed to silence critics from his own party.
Three Democratic politicians joined the growing list calling on Mr. Biden to drop out of the US presidential race.
Calls for the 81-year-old to step aside have escalated since he stumbled through a TV debate with Republican Donald Trump last month.
At an hour-long briefing taking reporters’ questions on Thursday night he was more steady and fluent but there were also gaffes.
He mistakenly referred to his deputy, Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump” when answering the first question.
Two hours earlier at a Nato event, he introduced Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” before correcting himself.
All these now mean Mr. Biden’s candidacy still remains in peril, with the possibility of more defections over the next few days.
Some donors including Hollywood actor George Clooney have pulled their financial support, saying he is not competent to carry out another four-year term.
This brings the tally of Democratic politicians calling on Mr. Biden to end his candidacy to 19.
Former president of the United states, Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi have spoken privately about Joe Biden and the future of his 2024 campaign.
Both the former president and former speaker expressed concerns about how much harder they think it’s become for the president to beat Donald Trump. Neither is quite sure what to do.
