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Republican Senator Mitch McConnell left everyone scratching their heads during a press conference on Wednesday, July 26. It was not about what he said, but about what he did not say. The senator just froze. He froze for quite a while too, which prompted his colleagues to check on him. The senator had to be relieved for a moment after which he returned and carried out like nothing happened.
Senator Mitch McConnell's abrupt pause went viral on social media. Multiple Twitter users shared posts regarding the bizarre incident. Users showed their sympathy but exclaimed that he was getting too old for this. Underneath @RaquelMartinTV's tweet on the incident, one user commented:
The US Senate Minority Leader, Senior Republican Mitch McConnell, is 81 years old. During the scheduled Senate GOP leadership press conference, McConnell started off by talking about bipartisan cooperation on a defense funding bill before abruptly coming to an unscheduled halt. McConnell said nothing and stared straight ahead for a grand total of 21 seconds.
He was helped off the podium by Wyoming's Senator John Barrasso, who asked McConnell if he wanted to say anything else and if he was okay before helping him move to the sidelines. Senator John Barrasso is also an ex-orthopedic surgeon.
12 minutes later, Mitch McConnell returned to resume his press conference. Upon his return, the press asked him if he was okay and if the pause was due to a previous accident he had experienced. With a simple reply of "I'm fine," the senator moved on with the press conference.
Mitch McConnell incident prompts netizens to call for younger leaders and term limits
Mitch McConnell's mid-speech pause went viral all over social media. It was shared by news agencies and netizens alike. A July 26 tweet by @RaquelMartinTV, went on to amass over 5 million views on the platform. "Odd Moment," said the Washington DC Correspondent of the Nextar Media group along with a re-post of the infamous pause.
The next day, Raquel posted confirmation that the senator was fine and that he was just feeling lighthearted.
Underneath Raquel's tweet, netizens let their feelings be known. People stated that it was high time for McConnell and every other leader who was around that age, to retire. There was a push for term limits to be set in the Senate.
Some claimed that McConnell showed all the symptoms of a TIA, others said that he had an absence seizure. Connections were also made to an allegedly minor fall McConnell had endured in March that gave him a concussion.
Back in March, Mitch McConnell underwent treatment for the concussions he received due to a fall in a hotel in Washington DC.
During the fall that resulted in the pause in his press conference, the senator, who is currently in his seventh term, also sustained a minor rib fracture. As a result, he was admitted to the hospital and subsequently transferred to a rehab facility. However, he made a successful return to the Senate in April after recovering from his injury.
