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.