In a moment that stunned reporters and spectators alike, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to momentarily freeze in the midst of his speech during his weekly press conference.
Mitch McConnell, 81, approached the microphone, initiating a sentence in the context of a discourse about the National Defense Authorization Act, when he suddenly halted for approximately 20 seconds, gazing ahead without blinking. The veteran Republican Senate leader fell silent abruptly mid-sentence, with an evident look of confusion on his face.
After about 20 seconds, Senators Joni Ernst and John Barrasso approached McConnell.
Barrasso’s words to McConnell were audible through the microphone, “Are you okay, Mitch? Is there anything else you want to say to the press or should we return to your office?” Initially, McConnell seemed determined to stay put, but shortly after, Barrasso led him back to his office.
McConnell returned to the microphone after a few minutes, and once his colleagues had finished speaking, he answered a variety of questions from the reporters clearly and, at times, elaborately. When asked by a reporter to describe what had happened, he merely said, “I’m fine”.
Responding to a question later in the afternoon about McConnell’s freeze during the press conference, Ernst told reporters, “To my knowledge, everything is fine.” Barrasso, who had accompanied McConnell outside, explained that “McConnell was talking and leading the discussion during a lunch immediately before the conference.”
It’s worth noting that McConnell had previously faced health issues. In March, McConnell was treated for a concussion after falling in a Washington hotel. He was discharged from the hospital after a few days, and his communication director stated that he would “head to a rehabilitation facility where he would undergo physical therapy.”
On Wednesday, Barrasso expressed, “I was worried when he fell and hit his head months ago and had to be hospitalized. I believe he has remarkably recovered. He did a great job when he left our conference and managed to answer every question posed by the press today.” Barrasso stated that he has no “new concerns” about McConnell’s health.
It should be noted that in early June, McConnell had difficulty answering numerous questions, a challenge his office attributed to “hearing difficulty” at that time
