Biden freezes mid-answer during presidential election debate

Joe Biden appeared to freeze and stumble over his words during the first presidential debate on Thursday night (27 June).

At times, the US president struggled to stem a barrage of attacks and false claims from his Republican rival Donald Trump.

The Biden campaign had hoped that a strong debate would quell concerns among voters that the 81-year-old Democratic incumbent is too old to serve a second four-year term.

Instead, a hoarse-sounding Biden stumbled over his words, especially in the early stages of the debate.

Two White House officials said mid-debate that the president had a cold, but that only further reflected anxiety about his performance.