Mitch McConnell freezes again while addressing reporters during press conference in Kentucky
COVINGTON, KENTUCKY: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is planning to consult a physician before his next event as a “prudential measure” after he froze up for the second time in two months during a press conference in Kentucky on Wednesday.
McConnell, 81, was answering questions from reporters about his possible re-election bid in 2026 when he suddenly stopped talking and looked blankly into space.
What happened after Mitch McConnell froze?
“What are my thoughts about what?” McConnell asked after a journalist asked him a question about running for re-elections for 2026. “Oh,” he said before his eyes gazed up and froze.
"Did you hear the question, Senator? Running for re-election in 2026?” a woman standing next to him asked. “Oh,” he said before he froze.
According to a representative for the top Senate Republican, McConnell “felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today” but was feeling “fine” afterwards, the New York Post reported.
McConnell plans to consult a physician prior to his next event as a “prudential measure,” despite feeling “fine,” the person added.
The representative did not specify whether McConnell had any underlying health issues or what caused his brief lapse of consciousness.
However, he later snapped back into reality and answered two questions which had to be repeated by the staff. He, however, made no mention of his health before leaving the podium.
When was the first Mitch McConnell froze?
This was not the first time, McConnell had a similar episode in front of the media. On July 27, he became stone-faced while discussing the annual defence bill on Capitol Hill.
He was then escorted away from the microphone by his colleagues by senior senator John Barrasso before asking him, "Are you OK? Anything else you want to say or should we just go back to your office?" B
ut later returned to tell reporters that he was “fine” and fully able to do his job.
Has Mitch McConnell received any sought of trauma?
It is not clear but McConnell has endured falls on some occasions. On March 8, he suffered a concussion and broken ribs after a fall during a fundraiser at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, DC.
That mishap sidelined McConnell from the upper chamber for several weeks. On July 14, he fell while deplaning a cancelled flight at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, and he has used a wheelchair on occasion to navigate crowded areas, NBC News reported.
Last month, Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) revealed to reporters that McConnell also slipped and fell in February while leading a delegation of senators to Finland, but appeared uninjured.
McConnell is the joint longest-serving party leader in the history of the upper chamber — having led Senate Republicans since 2007.
McConnell is being asked to retire after freezing episode
In light of his health concerns, some Republicans, such as former President Donald Trump and his fellow 2024 hopeful Nikki Haley, have implied he should step down.
NEW: Republican Senator Mitch McConnell gets humiliated during a speech as Kentuckians completely drown him out, telling him to ‘retire’
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 6, 2023
Mitch McConnell is the definition of ‘The Swamp.’
McConnell is 81 years old, has spent nearly 4 decades as a Senator and has a net worth of… pic.twitter.com/UY29EsTwoF
He also received a hostile reception earlier this month at the Fancy Farm picnic when he was giving a speech soon after the first episode of freezing. He received loud boos and chants from the audience, asking him to ‘retire’.