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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell recently sparked health concerns after he froze mid-speech during a press conference on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. The 81-year-old Republican stood in silence for a good 20 seconds before his colleagues intervened.
The incident occurred during McConnell's weekly Republican leadership press conference. He was discussing the Department of Defense funding bill when he abruptly stopped.
"There's been good bipartisan cooperation and a string of er..." he stated just before freezing.
He stood vacantly looking into the distance for a while before fellow senator John Barrasso stepped in to support the 81-year-old, while John Thune continued to address the press. Barrasso walked him away from the cameras.
Mitch McConnell dismissed concerns stating he "felt lightheaded" and stepped away for a moment
Mitch McConnell soon returned to finish his conference and laugh off health concerns. When President Joe Biden called to check on McConnell after his alarming moment, he joked that he had been "sandbagged."
The term is a reference to an incident that occurred in June when Biden fell down after tripping over two sandbags at the Air Force Academy commencement ceremony. When concerned staffers questioned whether he was doing ok, the president quipped:
"I got sandbagged!"
An aide later stated that McConnell felt lightheaded, but after he came back he "was sharp for the Q and A."
"He looked quite unwell": Netizens react to Mitch McConnell freezing, discuss age limits for politicians
As news of Mitch McConnell's incident spread across social media, internet users were quick to voice their concerns. Additionally, many expressed that politicians were too old to be in office, sparking a discourse on age limits. Others discussed whether the senator suffered a stroke.
The incident came just months after Mitch McConnell was released from the hospital after he suffered a concussion and a broken rib following a fall at a dinner in Washington D.C.. He needed six weeks to recover in addition to a week at the hospital.
Additionally, he has been using a wheelchair to navigate through airports, according to an article by NBC News. He is also a polio survivor and has long struggled with climbing stairs.
No other comments were released at the time of writing this article.
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