Washington, 28 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - US presidential candidates Joe Biden and Donald Trump faced off on Thursday in the first of two debates ahead of November's razor-close election, in a duel that saw the incumbent perform far from convincingly while Trump's statements were peppered with lies.

Both had been aiming to use the 90-minute debate to win over crucial undecided voters, but Biden's performance, branded as "painful" and "dismal" after he struggled several times to give coherent answers, has sent shock waves through his Democratic Party, analysts said.

Opening the post-debate discussion, CNN chief national correspondent John King said that there was now "a deep, a wide and a very aggressive panic in the Democratic Party" following Biden's "dismal" performance.

As a result, some in the party were "having conversations" about possibly asking Biden to "step aside," King said.

CNN anchor Abby Phillip added: "The problem for Biden was that Trump was able to take some, sometimes incredible falsehoods and turn them into some kind of argument, whereas Biden's answers were in a lot of cases not coherent."

CNN political commentator Van Jones, a special adviser to former president Barack Obama, called Biden's performance "painful."

"He's doing the best that he can. But he had a test to meet tonight to restore confidence of the country and of the base. And he failed to do that," Jones said.

Biden and Trump discussed a range of topics, including abortion rights, migration, climate and the Ukraine war.

Biden vowed to restore Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 US Supreme Court ruling that prevented a ban on a woman's right to obtain an abortion.

In June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. Since then, US states have been able to decide independently on rules regarding abortion.

Biden stressed the need for abortions in some cases. "There's a lot of young women to be raped by their inlaws, by their spouses, brothers and sisters," he said, appearing to have misspoken.

Trump claimed that there had been an immense public desire to let states decide on abortion rights individually.

"I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother," Trump said, falsely claiming that Biden's Democrats were in favour of abortions "after birth."

Asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin's terms to end the Ukraine war, Trump said they were "not acceptable."

Trump again claimed he would be able to "settle" the war if re-elected, even ahead of January 20, when he would be inaugurated if he won the presidency. He did not say how he would achieve that, however.

Trump also claimed that Putin "would have never invaded Ukraine" if the United States "had a real president," in a testy debate that saw both candidates repeatedly attack each other personally.

"He's not equipped to be president," Trump said about Biden, adding: "He's, without question, the worst president, the worst presidency in the history of our country."

Biden said Trump had "the morals of an alley cat," while also calling him "a sucker" and "a loser."

The contest was a rematch of 2020, when the world was in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic. Four years later, the US is roiled by bitter fights over immigration policy, abortion rights, the pain of inflation, and Trump's myriad of criminal cases, including his attempt to overturn Biden's win in the last presidential election.

Many in Europe are alarmed by the prospect of Trump returning to the White House, not least because of doubts the US would continue to support Ukraine's fight against Russia's invasion and his promise to fundamentally rewrite Washington's 75-year relationship with NATO.

This was the third time Biden and Trump have met on a debate stage. Hanging over the showdown were concerns about their age, temperament and mental fitness. Biden, the current Democratic president, is 81. Trump, his Republican predecessor, is 78. They are the two oldest candidates to ever seek the US presidency.

Polls show most Americans long ago made up their minds on who they will vote for, meaning the debate is unlikely to dramatically shift the neck-and-neck race.

Yet recent US elections have been won and lost thanks to a relatively small number of voters in a handful of states that can swing either Democratic or Republican. Biden and Trump need to gain the support of political independents and those who have been tuned out up until the wall-to-wall news coverage generated by Thursday's debate.

A second presidential debate is scheduled for September 10, after Biden and Trump formally accept their parties' nominations at conventions in July and August.

It is still unclear whether and when there will be a TV debate between the candidates for vice president. Biden is once again entering the race with Kamala Harris at his side; Trump has not yet named a running mate.

Photo: EPA