Weeks after experiencing a comparable incident in Washington, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell looked to momentarily lose his composure and was unable to respond to a question from a reporter at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday.
A local TV station’s video claims that McConnell, 81, was questioned about seeking reelection in 2026. The senator asked the reporter to answer again before he paused and remained motionless for almost ten seconds.
McConnell was asked if he heard the question by a woman who was standing at the front of the room with him. She then asked it again. McConnell eventually answered two further questions, but not the one concerning a 2026 campaign.
He was hesitant and seemed to be having some difficulty speaking.
When McConnell did not respond, she said to the audience, “We’re going to need a minute.” McConnell also appeared to be having some difficulty speaking.
Following the conclusion of the news conference by the woman, McConnell gently walked out of the room.
Similar to the moment he once stopped for approximately 20 seconds at a news conference in the Capitol in late July, McConnell’s response was tense. After returning to his office with assistants to handle more inquiries, he left.
The most recent incident, which happened on Wednesday in Covington, Kentucky, adds to concerns that have been raised recently regarding McConnell’s health and whether or not the 1984 Senate candidate from Kentucky, who has been the GOP leader since 2007, will keep his position.
Following the occurrence, McConnell’s office reported that he was “momentarily lightheaded” and planned to visit a doctor before his next appearance. Similar to the July incident, neither McConnell nor his aides have provided any additional information on what transpired other than to say that McConnell felt dizzy and was afterwards quoted as saying to reporters that he was “fine.”
After a dinner engagement at a hotel in March, McConnell fell and hit his head, breaking one of his ribs in the process. It was almost six weeks before he made his way back to the Senate.
He has been traveling back and forth to Kentucky while using a wheelchair in the airport. He started to move more slowly, and his speech became more halting after that.
McConnell experienced polio as a young boy, and he has long admitted having trouble mounting stairs as an adult. In addition to his fall in March, he also fell at his Kentucky home four years earlier, breaking his shoulder and necessitating surgery.
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