McConnell Says He Is OK After Appearing Unwell at Press Conference
Senate GOP leader suffered concussion earlier this year from fall at hotel Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped speaking abruptly during a weekly press conference on Wednesday. He later said he is fine. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images By Lindsay Wise Updated July 26, 2023 8:03 pm ET WASHINGTON—Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped speaking abruptly during the opening remarks of his weekly press conference Wednesday and was briefly escorted away, raising questions about his health four months after his hospitalization for a concussion.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped speaking abruptly during a weekly press conference on Wednesday. He later said he is fine. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
WASHINGTON—Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stopped speaking abruptly during the opening remarks of his weekly press conference Wednesday and was briefly escorted away, raising questions about his health four months after his hospitalization for a concussion.
A McConnell aide later said that the 81-year-old felt lightheaded for a moment, and noted that he came back to participate in the question-and-answer section of the press conference. Still, the incident startled fellow lawmakers and brought into the open lingering concerns regarding his injury and how long he plans to remain as the Republicans’ Senate leader.
After McConnell’s return to the press conference, a reporter asked him about the incident and whether it was related to his concussion in March, which resulted from a fall at a hotel during a private dinner. McConnell also suffered a rib fracture.
“No, I’m fine,” McConnell said.
He went on to answer a series of questions about government spending bills, redistricting, impeachment and Hunter Biden.
When a reporter asked if McConnell had someone in mind to replace him when he is no longer conference leader, the Kentucky Republican laughed and left the lectern, ending the press conference.
McConnell speaks softly at press events and sometimes needs to have reporters’ questions repeated for him by fellow lawmakers. His answers have been cogent since returning to work after recovering from his fall.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, center, was helped by colleagues at a news conference in Washington.
Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
On Wednesday, the first indication that McConnell might be unwell came within moments of his opening remarks.
He suddenly stopped speaking and looked straight ahead for about 20 seconds.
Eventually Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.), a doctor, approached McConnell and quietly asked if he had anything else to say to the press. McConnell stepped back from the lectern and Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 2 Senate Republican, took over.
Afterward, Barrasso told reporters he had walked down the hall with McConnell. “I just wanted to make sure everything was fine with him. It is,” he said. He said McConnell had spoken at a closed-door GOP lunch earlier in the day, leading the discussion.
But Barrasso added, “I’ve been concerned since the first time, since he was injured a number of months ago. I continue to be concerned.”
Pressed to clarify what his concerns were, Barrasso said he had no new concerns, and that McConnell had made a remarkable recovery. “He’s doing a great job of leading our conference and he was able to answer every question that the press asked him today,” he said.
Sens. Thune, Barrasso and Texas’ John Cornyn are all seen as potential successors to McConnell.
Late Wednesday, McConnell told reporters that President Biden had called to check on him. McConnell said he told the president he had been “sandbagged,” an apparent reference to a recent incident in which Biden tripped over a sandbag during the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony.
Write to Lindsay Wise at [email protected]
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