Democrat politician publicly calls for Biden to step down

Rep Lloyd Doggett has called for Joe Biden to step down (Lauren Victoria Burke/AP)

A House Democratic politician has become the first in the party to publicly call for US President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee for president, citing Mr Biden’s debate performance failing to “effectively defend his many accomplishments”.

Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas said in a statement on Tuesday that Mr Biden should “make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw”.