Biden: I stay in the race. Grows

The hesitant, interminable crossing of the stage towards the podium. The waxy, astonished face. The thread of voice, hoarse and interrupted by coughs. The confused, incomplete sentences. The sometimes unintelligible words. For Joe Biden, the debate with Donald Trump is in these images. And in the aftermath of the 90-minute face-to-face in the CNN studios he sows panic at all levels of the US Democratic Party - and shock among quite a few international allies. The first TV confrontation was supposed to dispel doubts about the vigour of the 81-year-old president's bid for a second term. It was the exact opposite, with Biden a prisoner of his own frailties. The watchword in the party today is 'Defcon 1', borrowed from the Pentagon's highest level of crisis alert.

Biden's débâcle has also reopened the internal game within the Democrats on the chances of a change of the guard in extremis at the top of the ticket for the White House. On his stepping back to allow the delegates at the Chicago Convention in August to choose an alternative. Or that he entrusts a new nomination to special sessions of the party's National Committee. Especially since the Democratic panic is countered by the satisfaction of the Republicans, united behind Trump: House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke of the 'biggest gap in the history of presidential debates'.

Nothing can be taken for granted. Biden's supporters have defended him, pointing out that this is not the first time a candidate has failed the initial debate, it was Barack Obama's turn, only to redeem himself. The vote is four months away, with a second face-off scheduled for September.And Biden said he does not consider his performance a failure, answering 'no' to those who asked him if he is considering a withdrawal.

However, his already uphill road has become much steeper. Post-debate polls confirm this: 67% of viewers give Trump the winner. What's more: the bitter disappointment is infecting big donors, party members and the Democratic base. 'There will come an avalanche of demands,' a strategist close to Biden told the New York Times, 'that he step aside. The man who was on stage with Trump cannot win'. Vice President Kamala Harris had to admit to a 'slow start' by Biden in the debate (the first half hour). Former Senator Claire McCaskill went further: Biden 'failed in the one task he had, to reassure that he was up to the task'. She suggested enlisting Harris or California Governor Gavin Newsom in his place. From abroad, where fears for Washington's stability are rife, a harsh and revealing comment came from Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski: he compared Biden to Marcus Aurelius and the 'ruinous transition' that heralded the 'decline of Rome'.

The individual 'viral' moments of the debate, on TV and social media, threaten to remain Biden's minutes of breathlessness for too long.Synthesised by a tirade from Trump after one of his rival's more circuitous ramblings: 'I really don't know what he said, and I don't think he does either'. The president did not seem lucid and effective even on issues dear to him, from protecting abortion rights to democracy, even less so on tough issues such as inflation and immigration.