Democratic US presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event, in Wilmington, Delaware, July 14, 2020. Photo: Reuters / Leah Millis / File.

US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden told reporters on Tuesday he would name his running mate in the first week of August, days before he formally accepts his party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention.

Biden’s search for a vice presidential candidate has drawn intense scrutiny, in part because he would be the oldest president in US history at 78 years old as of Inauguration Day.

Biden has vowed to select a woman to join his ticket ahead of November’s election against Republican President Donald Trump.