United States presidential election

‘We were disappointed that when given the opportunity, neither candidate made direct mention of Israel’s hostages in Gaza, including these eight US citizens’

Of the 13 "undecideds" who spoke to Reuters, 10 described the 81-year-old Democratic president's performance against Republican candidate Trump collectively as feeble.

Joe Biden does not meet the criteria for dementia and is experiencing cognitive decline consistent with his age – 81 and a half years old.

If the debate set off domestic alarm bells in the Democratic Party, then it did so as well among the international community, as the fate of global crises often hinges on who sits in the White House.

Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman reflects on the ups and downs of the latest presidential debate between two candidates - both of whom believe they are the best candidates for Israel.

The two candidates used the war in Gaza as the centerpiece of their debate, with Biden adding that only Hamas wants to be at war, and Trump placing partial blame on Israel.

Trump, 78, takes the stage as a felon who still faces a trio of criminal cases. Biden, 81, is under intense pressure to avoid verbal stumbles and deliver a convincing performance.

Previous Reuters/Ipsos polls have shown Biden and Trump neck-and-neck in the presidential race, though a number of polls in battleground states have shown Trump ahead in recent months.

Trump and Biden debated in the 2020 race, with their first exchange devolving into a chaotic shouting match - this year, moderators will mute candidates' microphones to allow uninterrupted answers.

Trump and Biden polled to be the least popular candidates since the Pew Research Center started gathering data in 1988.