Biden vows to continue campaign amid rising concerns on age

After the failed debate at the end of June with Donald Trump there were many calls for Joe Biden to withdraw from the race for the White House. Increasingly, people are saying that Biden's age is becoming evident - the 81-year-old US President had problems speaking during the debate, lost his train of thought, and did not finish sentences.

The US political service axios.com, meanwhile, reported that before subsequent appearances Biden receives instructions on how to get to the microphone. The instructions include large photos showing the way to the microphone.

I was surprised that such an experienced politician needs detailed oral and visual instructions on how to enter and exit the room – said a person who participated in one of Biden's events over the past 18 months.

An anonymous axios.com source claims that a "simple fundraiser" was being treated "like a NATO summit". According to the service, the White House sends event staff a template to follow, preparing their own guidelines for the president.

One of the templates shows a large picture of the event location on each page with large text, such as "view from the podium" and "view from the audience". Two pages also included separate photos with accompanying "walk to the podium".

The White House spokesperson downplayed these instructions, telling Axios that "the high level of detail and precision is crucial for the president's preparatory activities - regardless of who the president is - and these are standard approaches used by every modern preparatory team, including the vice president's office and agencies".

These documents constitute standard briefing materials and photos for any director, including the vice president - said Vice President Kamala Harris.