Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) momentarily froze on Wednesday while speaking to the press with other Republican Senate leaders.
“Good afternoon, everyone. We’re on a path to finishing the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) this week, there’s been good bipartisan cooperation and a string of…” McConnell said, before going silent for about 20 seconds before some of his colleagues intervened to check on him.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), who is a physician, grabbed onto McConnell’s arm and asked, “You okay, Mitch?”
“Is there anything else you want to say or should we just go back to your office?” Barrasso asked. “Do you want to say anything else to the press?”
Barrasso and McConnell then stepped away for a brief period of time before returning.
In the meantime, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) took over the press conference and addressed the media.
Odd moment: McConnell freezes at start of Senate GOP leadership press conference and is escorted to the side by his colleagues pic.twitter.com/hT5bLnstOS
— Raquel Martin (@RaquelMartinTV) July 26, 2023
An aide for McConnell said that the senator “felt light-headed and stepped away for a moment. He came back to handle Q and A, which as everyone observed was sharp.”
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Barrasso later told reporters that he was “concerned when he fell and hit his head a number of months ago and was hospitalized.”
“And I think he’s made a remarkable recovery,” Barrasso said. “He’s doing a great job leading our conference, and he was able to answer every question that the press asked him today. And you may note he answered more questions than he normally does.”
McConnell later returned to the press conference, said he was fine, and took a shot at President Joe Biden over the president falling on the stage earlier this year at an Air Force commencement ceremony in Colorado Springs.
“The president called to check on me,” McConnell said. “I told him I got sandbagged. … Gotta watch those sandbags!”
BREAKING: Biden takes a big fall on stage just now at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation pic.twitter.com/GxkMbpyoNo
— Jake Schneider (@jacobkschneider) June 1, 2023