There are 'a lot of questions' about US President Joe Biden following a presidential debate, the Democrats Abroad Ireland Chair has said.
A TV debate with his presumptive rival Donald Trump on Thursday has sparked alarm among Democrats.
President Biden seemed hesitant, sometimes stumbling over his words and at one point appeared to freeze.
He also spoke with a hoarse voice during the event.
After the debate, political figures and commentators broached the idea of replacing Mr Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
Democrats Abroad Ireland Chair Patti Shields told Newstalk Breakfast the debate left people with a lot of questions.
"It was a very difficult night for Joe Biden," she said.
"The big agenda item for him was really presenting himself up to task about four years forward.
"Unfortunately, last night, I think, left a lot of people across the board with a lot of questions about his ability to take this forward for the next four years".
US President Joe Biden and Donald Trump participating in a presidential debate hosted by CNN in Atlanta, 27-5-24. Image: Associated Press / AlamyMs Shields said she believes questions about President Biden are valid.
"As a voter I definitely had concerns and I think it's fair to put those concerns forward," she said.
"You know the substances, the policies - the willingness to do the job is there but the weakness of performance last night was a concern for anyone who watched".
Ms Shields said she doesn't believe President Biden delivered enough blows.
"There were a lot of lies told last night and when you hear things repeated over and over that are untrue you kind of want someone to punch back," she said.
"And I just don't think Joe Biden was able to deliver that punch last night".
Voting
Ms Shields said she believes what is important now is ensuring people are registered to vote.
"I think the fear that democracy is on the line in this debate - especially when you look at how Trump evaded questions around January 6th and how he would stand by any sort of election results - I think it made a compelling case for Americans abroad that we need to get our registrations to vote in," she said.
"I think there's an ongoing debate starting today about what moves forward, how the campaign moves forward, how they go into the convention in Chicago.
"The voters need to turn up on the day and we need to get Americans registered to vote," she added.
Biden and a new candidate
Could Joe Biden be replaced as the Democratic nominee and how might that work?
A national US party has never tried to force an election candidate to step down in the modern era and their rules make it almost impossible to do so.
It would mean Democrat officials overturning the results of the state primaries - the votes that took place earlier this year that confirmed Mr Biden as the overwhelming pick for November's election.
There are ways to replace a nominee if they die, resign or are incapacitated but forcing Mr Biden out would mean delegates choosing another candidate.
It appears highly unlikely, as they were chosen in the primaries because of their loyalty to the president and with the trust that they would vote for him at the convention.
However, there is a potential "loophole" in that Democrat rules allowing them to "in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them".
So if concerns about his performance and mental acuity reach critical level this could be a way forward.
US Vice President Kamala Harris delivers in Washington, 20-12-23. Image: NASA/piemags / AlamyPresident Biden choosing to withdraw himself is seen the most plausible scenario for the Democrats to choose a new candidate.
Mr Biden has repeatedly dismissed this option during other turbulent times - but if he changed his mind, he could simply serve out the remaining months of his presidency.
It takes a majority of the party's 4,000 or so delegates to win a presidential nomination - and Mr Biden secured about 3,900 of them in the primaries.
The president would have some influence over his pledged delegates but ultimately, they can vote as they please - so it could become a 'free for all' with candidates campaigning aggressively to win them over.
US Vice-President Kamala Harris might be politically favoured if he ditched his re-election bid, but Mr Biden's delegates would not automatically transfer to her and it would be a level playing field with other hopefuls.
Two frontrunners - if they chose to put themselves forward - could be California governor Gavin Newsom or Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer.
They didn't enter this year's primaries to compete against Mr Biden but have both been talked about as potential Democrat nominees in future.
Additional reporting: IRN
