Joe Biden's poor debate performance has resulted in cries from within his party to replace him as a candidate in the United States presidential election.
Mr Biden's supporters had hoped the debate, which aired on Thursday night in the US, would erase worries that the 81-year-old was too old to serve another term.
While Mr Biden is only three years older than Mr Trump, 78, concerns over age and fitness in the run-up to the election have weighed more heavily on him.
Speaking in a hoarse voice and repeatedly losing his train of thought, Mr Biden's debate performance did the opposite of reassuring the Democratic base of his chances to win the presidential race a second time.
It sparked calls for the sitting president to step aside as the party's nominee amid fears of a return of Trump to the White House.
A longtime advisor to former president Barack Obama, David Axelrod, said there was a "sense of shock" with how poorly Mr Biden started the debate.
While Mr Biden got stronger as the debate got on, "by that time, I think the panic had set in," Mr Axelrod said on CNN.
"And I think you're going to hear discussions that, I don't know will lead to anything, but there are going to be discussions about whether he should continue."
Van Jones, a Democratic political commentator for CNN, said that Mr Biden "had a test to meet tonight to restore confidence in the country and of the base, and he failed to do that".
"We're still far from our convention. And there is time for this party to figure out a different way forward if he will allow us to do that," Mr Jones said.
Rosemarie DeAngelis, a Democrat who watched the debate at a party in South Portland, Maine, said she felt Mr Biden gave the right answers to Trump but "didn't have the spark that we needed tonight".
"That's going to be the challenge going forward. This is only June, this is the first, but can he sustain?" she said.
MNA/PR
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