Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell froze briefly during a news conference. When asked if he would run for election again in 2026, he remained silent for more than half a minute and appeared to stare into space.
According to a parliament spokesman, the 81-year-old politician “briefly felt dizzy.” The same thing happened a month ago.
McConnell answered questions from reporters in Covington, Kentucky, on Wednesday. A journalist asked him what he thought about the possibility of re-election in 2026. McConnell asked the journalist to repeat the question twice, and he wanted to answer, but after two words he fell silent and stared into space for more than 30 seconds.
A speaker asked him if he heard the question and when he remained silent, she decided to cut the press conference short. Then McConnell spoke again, but the question had to be repeated and he answered very briefly.
Raymond Mann
@raymondmens
A month earlier, the party chief also stopped speaking mid-sentence. When he did not answer the question if he was okay, the press conference was cut short. Then he returned twelve minutes later to announce that he was in good health and ended the press conference.
concussion
In March, McConnell was briefly hospitalized with a concussion after a fall. A spokesman for McConnell said McConnell will consult a doctor before next year’s event. As Senate Republican leader, he is one of the party’s most prominent members.
“America is struggling with a generation of politicians who do not want to compromise, but in fact are having the time of their lives,” wrote US expert Raymond Means on X (formerly Twitter). This applies to both Republicans and Democrats.
Senior old politicians
In the United States, the advanced age of politicians has been a more discussed topic since Joe Biden became president in 2022 at the age of 80. Biden regularly makes the news with public stumbles or leaves a confused impression.
Biden, who is running for a second term, is not the only senior politician over seventy years old. The United States is now called a “gerontology,” a country led by older people.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, is 76 and is campaigning again with hopes of beginning a four-year term in 2024. Nancy Pelosi will step down as House Democratic leader when she turns 82. In the Senate, where the average age of 64 is higher than ever, 80-year-old Mitch McConnell leads Republicans. Sen. Chuck Grassley is 89 years old and was re-elected last week to another term that ends at 95 years.
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