What is going on with Mitch McConnell?

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell was escorted away from a press conference after appearing to freeze mid-sentence during a press conference.

The Senate Minority Leader was speaking at the weekly Republican leadership news conference on Wednesday afternoon (26th July) when he stopped speaking for 19 seconds before being escorted away by concerned colleagues.

Footage of the incident quickly spread across the internet and led to people asking questions about his welfare and the future of his political career.

What has McConnell said about the incident?

Following his strange turn, McConnell returned to continue with the news conference after around 12 minutes.

Journalists asked if he was ok, to which he responded, “I’m fine” and insisted he was able to continue doing his job. He did not answer questions about whether he had seen a doctor.

McConnell said: “The president called to check on me. I told him I got sandbagged.”

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An aide explained that McConnell had “felt lightheaded and stepped away for a moment”. They continued: “He came back to handle Q&A, which as everyone observed was sharp.”

In March, the 81-year-old suffered a fall at a Washington DC hotel and was hospitalised due to concussion and a minor rib fracture. After undergoing rehab, he returned to Congress in April.

What have others said about the incident?

After the incident, Wyoming senator John Barrasso, who helped escort McConnell to a nearby office, said he "wanted to make sure everything was fine" and added that he was concerned due to injuries he had suffered in previous months "and I continue to be concerned".

With footage of the unusual pause circulating the internet, many took the opportunity to propose that McConnell should perhaps step back from politics and retire.

There were calls for age limits to be introduced in Congress and some Twitter users named several serving politicians in their 80s and even one in their 90s.

One person argued: “We need term limits AND age limits in every public office. This is absurd. Mitch McConnell stops talking and has to be escorted away.

“Mitch McConnell 81

Joe Biden 80

Nancy Pelosi 83

Maxine Waters 84

Chuck Grassley 89

Dianne Feinstein 90.”

Someone else said: “I fell last week and am dealing with a concussion. They are no joke and I’m half his age. Mitch McConnell was hospitalized with one in March.

“Time for him to retire and to also institute term limits for Congress. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

There was also concern expressed over why McConnell returned to the press conference so quickly after the incident.

“Why TF did they bring Mitch McConnell back to the podium minutes after blanking out? He should’ve been immediately taken to the hospital.

“I’m no fan of McConnell, but it was derelict of the GOP senators not to get medical care right away for their Senate Leader,” one shocked viewer argued.

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