A strange moment occurred at the Senate Republican leadership press conference when Mitch McConnell froze while speaking and had to be escorted away by colleagues.
Video:
Odd moment: McConnell freezes at start of Senate GOP leadership press conference and is escorted to the side by his colleagues pic.twitter.com/hT5bLnstOS
— Raquel Martin (@RaquelMartinTV) July 26, 2023
McConnell was speaking, and in midsentence, he froze, stared straight ahead, and said nothing. His colleagues came over to him, asked him if he wanted to say anything else, and walked the Senate Minority Leader away from the microphone.
Sen. McConnell left the press conference but returned later:
UPDATE: McConnell is back at the presser. pic.twitter.com/hrAdKXpAVX
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 26, 2023
It was a disturbing moment, and when asked about it, McConnell said:
Asked about what happened at the top of the press conference, MCCONNELL says “I’m fine.”
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 26, 2023
Sen. McConnell did not look fine as he stood there staring and not saying anything. The social media speculation immediately went to McConnell having a stroke, but no health event is confirmed. Sen. McConnell was injured previously in a bad fall outside of a restaurant. Again, there is no indication that the situation today was related, but the Kentucky Senator has recently experienced health issues.
Mitch McConnell is in his eighties, so it could be time catching up with the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history. Age has become an often discussed issue ahead of the 2024 presidential election, but there are also age issues in Congress.