A former US Ambassador to Ireland says he's an 'ardent supporter' of Joe Biden, and that he believes Americans now want a 'decent, hard-working person with Irish roots' as their next president.
Kevin O'Malley - who was Barack Obama's Ambassador to Ireland from 2014-2017 - says Donald Trump has 'blown up' presidential traditions and customs during his time in office.
It's now under two weeks until the presidential election, with polls consistently showing Mr Biden with a clear lead nationally and an edge in several key swing states.
Mr O'Malley told The Hard Shoulder that the polls 'clearly are supportive... but they're just polls'.
He said: "I think Vice President Biden has made his positions clear... I think there's a great deal of fatigue from President Trump, and people want a decent, hard-working person with Irish roots to be our president.
"There's no doubt that President Trump has blown up all the traditions and customs that we associate with our presidency.
"I think people are tired of that, and will reject it... but I don't know. He does have a base of people that listen to him and follow him.
"But the country that elected Barack Obama twice is still there. We still want to go forward in building our country... it's a work in progress. We're not there yet, but President Trump has taken us backwards... and that's not where most Americans want to be."
Mr O'Malley said COVID-19 is the number one issue for the US ahead of the November 3rd vote.
He expressed his regret that the response to the virus has not been a 'come together' moment for a divided country, as issues such as mask-wearing have instead increased division.
He observed: "Our reaction to COVID has not been organised or scientific... it's become political.
"As a result, a lot of Americans are becoming sick and dying that don't need to follow that route."
Voting from abroad
While Mr O'Malley is an 'ardent supporter' of Joe Biden, he's also part of an effort to encourage all Americans abroad - including those in Ireland - to vote this year, regardless of their politics.
He said: "The effort we're trying to do here in registering and having people vote is bi-partisan.
"There are 70,000 American citizens who may also be Irish citizens who are currently living in Ireland - they would be eligble to vote in this election if they fulfil the requirements various states have set up.
"To make it easy for American citizens... we have established a website called VoteFromAbroad.org... it will walk them through their eligibility or requirements, if any."
You can find all details on absentee ballots on the VoteFromAbroad website.
