Former U.S. ambassador to Canada says Americans aren't 'convinced' Biden can beat Trump

A former U.S. ambassador to Canada says Americans are «not convinced» that President Joe Biden is the best candidate to prevent Donald Trump's return to the White House.

In a statement posted to social media, Bruce Heyman said Democrats must now consider alternative candidates for the 2024 presidential race.

«While I deeply respect President Biden and acknowledge his significant accomplishments, recent events have raised concerns about his ability to effectively campaign for and serve another term,» Heyman said.

Heyman was the U.S. ambassador to Canada from 2014 to 2017, under President Barack Obama. He was sworn into the job by then-vice president Biden.

Heyman's statement was posted just before Biden took the stage for a highly anticipated solo news conference marking the end of the NATO summit in Washington. It was Biden's first since his shaky presidential debate performance just two weeks earlier.

Facing the media, Biden reaffirmed his intention to seek a second Oval Office term «to complete the job I started,» despite mounting calls for him to drop his reelection bid.

In that news conference, Biden made an attention-grabbing gaffe when he mistakenly referred to Vice-President Kamala Harris as «Vice President Trump.»

«I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president,» Biden said, while answering a question from Reuters about his confidence in Harris.

That mix-up came a few hours after a NATO event where Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin, before correcting himself.

Heyman is not the only Democrat suggesting Biden may not be fit to lead the United States for another four years.

Earlier this week,