Democratic Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes joined the growing list of lawmakers on Thursday calling for President Joe Biden to step aside as the party’s nominee, explaining his decision on CNN to release his statement following the president’s solo press conference.
Himes appeared on “The Source With Kaitlan Collins” to discuss his decision to join over a dozen Democrats in asking Biden to stop his campaign for the 2024 race against former President Donald Trump. As Himes explained his “problem” with Biden’s race and called out low poll numbers, CNN host Kaitlan Collins pressed Himes on what he believed could happen in November if Biden remains.
“And you think he‘ll lose to Donald Trump if Joe Biden goes up against him?” Collins pressed.
“All I can do is look at the numbers right now, no president has ever won with a 37% approval rating. Look at the swing states because this is a race that is decided in five or six states. You can look at lots of different polls, but the president isn‘t really up in any of them,” Himes said.
“Then you could ask yourself and again, this is the future, this is, we don‘t know the future. What is the trajectory look like? Imagine that three months from now we get another performance like there was in the debate, right before the election. Do you want to take that risk? I don‘t.”
Himes previously touted Biden’s “emotional” storytelling aspects, however, stated that the party can no longer just rely on “loyalty, love and emotion.” (RELATED: ‘Worst Case Scenario’: Biden Avoids Total Collapse In Gaffe-Heavy Presser)
“A huge part of politics is loyalty, love and emotion. Nobody understands that better or attracts that better than Joe Biden. A storytelling Irishman lives in an emotional world and those are critical values for politics,” Himes continued.
“But the problem is that can go way too far and when there‘s an excess of love and loyalty, you get 70 million Americans who will not budge from their support for a felon, from a criminal, from an adjudicated rapist who has promised to turn this country into an authoritarian country.”
“So the stakes are so high that right now the question is, not that, not how loyal are you, but can we avert — forget about and we can talk more if you like, about the event that Joe Biden were reelected — but can you avert a second Trump presidency? There is not a single number out there, not want one,” Himes said.
Himes released his full statement online Thursday evening following Biden’s solo press conference in which he could be heard making multiple gaffes. Within his post on Twitter, Himes stated Biden could not “risk” his legacy by losing to Trump as he “no longer” believes Biden is the best candidate for his party.
Despite concerns from his party, Biden and his officials have remained firm in their 2024 campaign, with Biden challenging the lawmakers to “run” against him at the Democratic National Convention.
