News/Commentary

Scary moment Mitch McConnell suddenly FREEZES up on podium. Was it a stroke?

July 27, 2023 | | Print Article

In a scary moment that raised renewed questions about his health, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suddenly froze up while speaking to reporters at a news conference, completely losing his train of thought and staring into space for nearly half a minute before being led away from the podium.

The Kentucky Republican was giving an update on the progress of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) when he trailed off and just stood there in front of the shocked audience, including his Republican colleagues and members of the press corps.

‘”There’s been good bipartisan cooperation and a string of uh…uhh,” he said before freezing. After the awkward pause, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) who is a doctor, stepped in.

(Video: Grabien)

“You OK, Mitch?” he asked. “Is there anything else you want to say or should we just go back to your office?”

He then led the 81-year-old away and Senator John Thurne (R-SD), the Senate minority whip, and other lawmakers took over.

Later, He would return to the podium to finish the presser, telling reporters “I’m fine,” and fielding questions.

An aide to the senator said that he “felt light-headed and stepped away for a moment. He came back to handle Q and A, which as everyone observed was sharp.”

He later joked about it, telling reporters that he spoke to President Joe Biden, telling him he was “sandbagged” in a reference to his fellow octogenarian’s falling down while speaking to graduating Air Force cadets last month.

Earlier this year, McConnell missed a significant time at work when he was hospitalized after taking a nasty spill during a private dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington, D.C.

McConnell’s brain freeze along with Biden’s stumbles and the sad story of barely functional 90-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had Twitter users suggesting that there is a serious issue with elderly politicians who, despite their advanced age and cognitive issues, continue to cling to power instead of ceding their positions to a younger class of leaders.

“The top leadership of the US Government is extremely old — they stay around forever, clinging to power as tightly as they can, petrified to give it up — and so we have more and more upsetting scenes like this,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote. “Best wishes to Sen. McConnell’s health, but this is gerontocracy.”

More reactions to the proverbial elephant in the living room:

“I said I was concerned when he fell and hit his head a number of months ago and was hospitalized,” Barrasso told reporters after the presser. “And I think he’s made a remarkable recovery. He’s doing a great job leading our conference, and he was able to answer every question that the press asked him today. And you may note he answered more questions than he normally does.”

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Chris Donaldson
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