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Topics: US News, Politics, Republicans, Mitch McConnell
Velentina Boulter
Topics: US News, Politics, Republicans, Mitch McConnell
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had to be escorted out of a press conference on Wednesday (July 26) after appearing to freeze up.
While talking to the press in a weekly conference, the Republican suddenly went silent mid-sentence, staring into the distance for around 20 seconds.
Eventually, fellow Republican Senator John Barrasso assisted him off the podium.
Other Republicans also came to McConnell’s aid and one can be heard asking: “Are you okay Mitch?”
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McConnell returned to the press conference 10 minutes later saying he was 'fine' and gave no other details or reasoning behind the incident.
When another reporter asked if he was still able to do his job, Senator McConnell simply replied 'yeah' before moving on to another question.
An aide for McConnell told the press that the Senator 'felt lightheaded and stepped away for a moment'.
“He came back to handle Q&A, which everyone observed was sharp," the spokesperson said.
The incident comes after McConnell was out of the Senate for six weeks when he tripped and fell over in March.
The 81-year-old was taken to hospital for a few days and was treated for a concussion and broken ribs, and has made a full recovery, according to the Republican Party.
When asked about the incident, Barrasso told the press that he 'wanted to make sure everything was fine'.
“I said I was concerned when he fell and hit his head a number of months ago and was hospitalized,” said the Senator, who was an orthopedic surgeon before his career in politics.
“I think he’s made a remarkable recovery, he’s doing a great job leading our press conference and was able to answer every question the press asked him.”
McConnell was addressing this year's defence policy bill at the time when he froze up.
At 81, McConnell is one of the oldest serving Senators, with 90-year-old Senator Dianne Feinstien being the oldest.
The median age currently for a Senator in the United States is 65.3 years, according to the Pew Research Center.
He is currently serving his seventh term as the Republican Senator for Kentucky and is the longest-serving Republican Senate leader in the entire history of US politics.
McConnell will be up for re-election during the 2026 midterm elections.