New warning for Mitch McConnell. The U.S. Senate Republican leader expressed serious concerns about his health on Wednesday as he suffered an extended absence in the middle of a news conference for the second time in a month.
According to his spokesman, McConnell “felt dizzy for a moment and paused during his press conference.” “He’s fine, but he’ll be careful about seeking medical attention.”
While traveling through his state of Kentucky, 81-year-old Senator McConnell appeared paralyzed for about thirty seconds and was unable to answer a reporter’s question. He had just been asked about his desire to run again in 2026.
Republican leader in the Senate since 2007
The Republican tenor had already experienced a very similar episode on July 26th, when he froze for no reason in the middle of a press conference in the Capitol before his entourage asked him to disappear. When asked about Mitch McConnell’s condition, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre wished him “a speedy recovery.”
In March, the senator was hospitalized after a fall during a private dinner that resulted in a concussion, a broken rib and nearly six weeks off work.
Mitch McConnell, the undisputed leader of the Republicans in the Senate since 2007, was at the forefront in this role in the fight against the policies of the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama (2009-2017), but also in support of Donald Trump. who came to power in January 2017.
Difficult relations with Donald Trump
The alliance between these two men who hate each other is largely a minor matter. Mitch McConnell was pleased that he was able to confirm a record number of conservative federal judges and three to the Supreme Court. However, he strongly criticized Donald Trump’s actions during the attack on the Capitol, but did not go so far as to condemn him in the Senate during his second impeachment trial.
McConnell also believes that Donald Trump cost Republicans the Senate majority in 2020 and in the midterm elections last November because of his obsession with imaginary presidential fraud and subsequent support for conspiratorial candidates. Donald Trump regularly attacks McConnell on social networks and accuses him of a lack of loyalty.
Last January, Mitch McConnell broke the record for longevity for a party leader in the Senate by unseating Democrat Mike Mansfield, who served for 16 years in the 1960s and 1970s. Although his resignation could be hasty, two Johns hold the rope for his successor: South Dakota Senator John Thune, current No. 2 in the hierarchy, and Texan John Cornyn, former “whip” of the Political party. Their first name isn’t the only thing they have in common: both have criticized Donald Trump and his repellent effect on moderates.