Joe Biden vows to defeat Donald Trump despite growing concern among Democrats

Joe Biden has defiantly told supporters he will fight and win the US presidential election – despite a growing number in his own party questioning his suitability as a candidate.

His campaign appears to be hanging on for dear life following a tepid first debate performance against Donald Trump and a series of high-profile gaffes in recent days.

On Thursday, Biden introduced Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” at a summit marking the 75th anniversary of Nato in Washington.

Biden quickly recognised his slip and returned to the podium to correct himself, saying: “President Putin? He’s going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky. I’m so focused on beating Putin.”

However, just hours later at his first solo news conference of the year, there was another cringe-inducing moment as the 81-year-old mistakenly referred to his deputy Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump”.

“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump, to be vice president, if I think she’s not qualified to be president,” Biden said in a garbled response without correcting himself.

‘Big boy press conference’

During the briefing, the president answered 19 queries from 10 reporters but his latest blunder inevitably undermined his efforts.

The conference was framed as a critical briefing by Biden, who described it as a “big boy press conference”, and was watched live by more than 23 million people – a bigger audience than this year’s Oscars.

Footage of the reaction of some of his closest allies to the gaffe went viral on social media, with several seen closing their eyes or looking to the floor.

Bitter tensions have also been growing between journalists and the White House over the president’s health.

The trigger was the revelation – disclosed in several news outlets – that a specialist in Parkinson’s disease had visited the White House eight times in as many months.

But Biden has insisted he is staying in the race and remains the most suitable person to take on Trump.

“The fact is, I’m the most qualified person to beat Trump. I beat him once, I’ll beat him again,” Biden declared during the conference.

“Where’s Trump been?” he said. “Riding around on his golf cart, filling out a scorecard before he hits the ball?”

More ‘bad nights’ to come?

Asked whether he can reassure Americans that he won’t have further “bad nights” like his debate performance, Biden said there is “no indication” he is slowing down.

“Am I getting the job done? Can you name me somebody who has gotten more major pieces of legislation passed in three and a half years?” he said.

“I created 2,000 jobs just last week. If I slow down and can’t get the job done, that’s a sign that I shouldn’t be doing it. But there’s no indication of that yet. None.”

One person who appears not to buy into Biden’s assurances is Donald Trump. His Republican allies have been stepping up attacks on Harris.

Trump unveiled a new, derisive nickname for the vice-president, “Laffin’ Kamala”, which he tested at a campaign rally in Florida this week.

“If Joe had picked someone even halfway competent, they would’ve bounced him from office years ago, but they can’t because she’s got to be their second choice,” he said.

Democrats say the pre-emptive strikes are a reflection of the concerns they have over Harris taking over from Biden.

Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, had a one-on-one meeting with the president on Thursday to relay concerns about his ability to defeat Trump in November.

In a letter to colleagues that notably did not endorse Biden’s decision to stay in the race, Jeffries said he passed along what he has been hearing from members –  that the president must step aside.