Right after Biden's press conference ended, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Jim Himes, called on the president to step down

Joe Biden held a lengthy press conference on Thursday night to try to convince the Democratic Party that he can still be the party's nominee in November. However, just minutes after the president had answered the last question, one of the most powerful Democrats in the House of Representatives publicly asked him to withdraw. 

It is Jim Himes, who represents Connecticut's fourth district and happens to be the ranking Democrat on the Lower House Intelligence Committee. 

Through a statement, he asserted that his party must field the "strongest" candidate possible in this year's election and that is no longer the current president.

"Joe Biden’s record of public service is unrivaled. His accomplishments are immense. His legacy as a great president is secure. He must not risk that legacy, those accomplishments and American democracy to soldier on in the face of the horrors promised by Donald Trump," Himes wrote. 

"The 2024 election will define the future of American democracy, and we must put forth the strongest candidate possible to confront the threat posed by Trump´s promised MAGA authoritarianism. I no longer belive that is Joe Biden, and I hope that, as he has through a lifetime of public service, he will continue to put our nation first and, as he promised, make way for a new generation of leaders," he added. 

The president disagreed strongly with Himes during the press conference, in which he claimed to be "the most qualified to govern and I believe I am the most qualified to win." 

He even questioned the fact that so much importance is given to the July polls, claiming that the campaign will finish settling down after Labor Day and that there are some polls that already show him ahead of Trump.