Mitch McConnell Freezes During Press Conference, Sparking Array Of Questions About His Health And Memes

Senate Minority Leader and long-time Congressman Mitch McConnell suffered a bizarre moment today during a press conference in which he froze mid-sentence for several seconds before he had to be escorted off the podium.

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

The video, posted to Twitter by user RaquelMartinTV, captures an awkward moment in which McConnell stops and appears to stare into space during his weekly Republican leadership news conference. After several seconds, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming then escorted him from the podium. Senator Joni Ernst can notably be seen making a cross sign in an apparent prayer for the Senator's health.

McConnell was apparently well enough to return to the press conference minutes later under his own power and assure reporters that he was fine. On social media, however, the clip suggested otherwise to viewers as many expressed that it seemed like McConnell was purportedly in poor health.

Many individuals, including some on the far-right, used the viral clip as potential evidence that McConnell needed to resign, and several suspected he had suffered a stroke.

Social media users of all political stripes also fired off some gallows humor jokes and memes about the incident, and many seemed to agree it was proof that the United States government needs term limits, particularly as some of the older members of Congress (such as Dianne Feinstein) have been the subject of scrutiny for their perceived difficulty carrying out their duties in their old age.

McConnell's office has yet to comment on the incident despite the waves it's made online. McConnell notably suffered a concussion in March and was admitted to the hospital before returning to the Senate in April.