Biden affirms his candidacy amid growing doubts and international concern

"I'm the sitting President of the United States, I'm the nominee of the Democratic party. I'm staying in the race," Joe Biden wrote on social media on Friday.

This is a reaction to emerging doubts related to his continued participation in the race for the presidential seat in the November elections in the USA. Global media have speculated about Biden's potential withdrawal from the elections after a debate with Donald Trump, during which the current head of state appeared to be confused.

The White House spokeswoman, Karine Jean-Pierre, also discussed Joe Biden's plans.

"These foreign leaders have seen the president personally, up close for the past three years. They have talked about his leadership. They have commended his leadership. They have been proud to see him as the president of the United States after what they experienced in the last administration. (...) They have — some of them have been even quoted about what the president has been able to do during his past three years. German Chancellor Scholz (said): 'I think that the — that Joe Biden is someone who is very clear, who knows exactly what he is doing and who is one of the most experienced politicians in the world, especially when it comes to international politics,'" Jean-Pierre said during a briefing on board the presidential plane.

She responded this way to a "The Wall Street Journal" journalist's question about the anxiety state leaders expressed regarding President Biden on the eve of the NATO summit.

Despite the assurances from the White House, "The Washington Post" reported on Friday that during the recent G7 summit in Italy, European leaders were surprised by signs of Biden's ageing. They noticed that Biden seemed more tired, "frail," and less coherent, often speaking too quietly and sometimes losing his train of thought, though he quickly got back on track. According to the journal, leaders felt that while Biden was still capable of performing his duties, there were concerns about whether he could do so for another four years. Other media outlets conveyed similar reports, including "The Wall Street Journal" and "The New York Times."