Trump sentence delay latest issue to hit election campaign

The delay in the sentencing of former US president Donald Trump in a New York hush money trial is the latest twist in the run-up to the 2024 presidential campaign.

Justice Juan Merchan on Tuesday delayed the sentencing date so he can consider Trump's argument that he should have been immune from prosecution after Monday's landmark US Supreme Court ruling that presidents cannot be criminally prosecuted for official acts.

The new sentencing date, if a sentence "is still necessary", Merchan wrote, is Sept 18, around seven weeks before the Nov 5 election.

Trump, 78, the presumptive Republican nominee, is expected to face President Joe Biden, 81, in a rematch of the 2020 contest.

It has been a tumultuous few days in US politics, as the Democratic president has faced calls from within his own party to not seek reelection, following his halting performance in his debate against Trump on June 27.

"I represent the heart of a congressional district once represented by (former Democratic president) Lyndon Johnson. Under very different circumstances, he made the painful decision to withdraw. President Biden should do the same," US Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat, said in a statement on Tuesday.

In response, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, "He's going to have his thoughts. That's for him to speak to."

"There's a large and increasing group of House Democrats concerned about the president's candidacy, representing a broad swath of the caucus," a House Democratic lawmaker told CNN on condition of anonymity. "We want to give him space to make a decision (to step aside), but we will be increasingly vocal about our concerns if he doesn't."

Biden huddled with family members and advisers at Camp David on Sunday, with those closest to him saying he should forge ahead, as they blamed some White House staff members and the CNN debate setup for his showing in the debate.

But Biden said he is ready to contend for a second term.

In a new NBC poll, Vice-President Kamala Harris trails Trump by two points in the matchup.

In brief remarks from the White House on Monday evening, Biden criticized the Supreme Court ruling.

"The American people must decide if they want to entrust the president once again — the presidency — to Donald Trump," Biden said.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump called the top court's ruling a "big win for our Constitution and for democracy".

Agencies contributed to this story.