The New York Times in an editorial has called on US President Joe Biden to drop out of this year's presidential race, pointing to his "uneven abilities" following a televised debate.

The leading US newspaper on Friday published an editorial titled, "To serve his country, President Biden should leave the race."

During Thursday's debate with former president Donald Trump, Biden's voice turned hoarse. He was lost for words for several seconds and frequently struggled to counter Trump's criticism.

Biden's performance reportedly prompted some Democrats to express doubts about appointing him as their nominee.

The New York Times editorial says that given the danger Trump poses, the stakes for the country and Biden's uneven abilities, the US needs a stronger opponent to the presumptive Republican nominee.

It says, "To make a call for a new Democratic nominee this late in a campaign is a decision not taken lightly."

But it says that the clearest path for Democrats is to acknowledge that Biden cannot continue his race, and create a process to select someone more capable to stand in his place to defeat Trump in November.

Biden, meanwhile, has vowed to fight on. He said in the southern state of North Carolina on Friday, "When you get knocked down, you get back up."

The focus now is on whether the editorial of a newspaper read by many Democrats puts more pressure on Biden to withdraw from the election.