Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, hot favourite to replace Biden

Biden’s rambling performance alarmed voters and senior Democrats alike and the president’s advanced age was once again called into question following the broadcast.

According to a CNN flash poll, taken straight after the debate, 67 per cent of registered voters said Mr Trump had won the debate. Prior to the debate, 55 per cent of the voters expected Mr Trump to prevail.

Charismatic Mr Newsom was mobbed by reporters after the debate ended with many asking if he would replace the elderly president.

At 56, Mr Newsom is a quarter of a century younger than Mr Biden and he currently has the best odds to win the 2024 election of any alternative candidate.

However, Mr Newsom played down any idea that he would run saying the suggestion was “unhelpful” and “unnecessary”.

Interviewed on MSNBC Mr Newsom said: “We’ve got to back this president. You don’t turn your back on him because of one performance. What kind of party does that?

“We need to deliver for him at this moment. With all due respect the more time we spend having these conversations, going down these rabbit holes, it’s unhelpful to our democracy.”

According to Politico, Democrats were so concerned about Mr Biden’s performance that some are actively speaking about replacing him. One unnamed advisor said they received half a dozen messages from senior donors throughout the debate declaring it a “disaster”.

One donor told the publication that it was “the worst debate in history”.

“Biden needs to drop out. No question about it,” the donor said.

David Plouffe, a Democratic strategist who managed Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, said Trump and Biden “seemed about 30 years apart tonight.”

Trump, 78, is actually less than four years younger than Biden, 81, but appeared lucid and calm next to the President who lost his train of thought and at times seems confused.

Left-winger Mr Newsom could be a smart choice of candidate for the Democrats.

He has been a staunch defender of abortion rights and has made California a haven for women from states where the procedure is banned.

He has also championed green policies and has made California the first state to offer health insurance to illegal immigrants.

Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Maryland, has also been touted as a possible replacement, although she has just a 2.7 per cent chance of winning the US election according to pollsters.

However, Mr Biden would need to step down in order for there to be another candidate and he has shown no interest in doing so.

There is, in theory, a way of ousting him if voters turned on him but it is unlikely that the Democrats would launch a hostile takeover of their own nominee.

If Biden did step down during his presidency, vice-president Kamala Harris would become president.

However, if he did so now she would have to win a majority of delegates like any other candidate.