Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's office says he was "momentarily lightheaded" when he froze up while speaking to reporters in Kentucky on Wednesday—but insiders say concerns about the 81-year-old's ability to remain in a leadership role are growing. McConnell had a similar episode a month ago and was out of the Senate for almost six weeks earlier this year after he suffered a concussion in a fall at a hotel in Washington, DC. Politico reports that after Wednesday's freeze-up, McConnell called allies, including Senate GOP Whip John Thune and other potential successors. "The leader sounded like his usual self and was in good spirits," said Thune spokesman Ryan Wrasse.
McConnell froze up for around 30 seconds Wednesday when he was asked about whether he plans to run for re-election in 2026. He never answered the question, and an aide led him out of the room after he struggled to answer two more questions, the AP reports. Sources tell CNN that he didn't mention the episode when he appeared at a GOP fundraiser in Louisville later Wednesday, but he "engaged with the crowd and acted normally." McConnell's office said he would see a physician as a precaution before his next event.
McConnell has said he plans to remain the party's leader in the Senate until the end of next year, but while allies are standing by him, critics including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are urging him to step down. Greene said Wednesday that McConnell is "not fit for office," the Hill reports. Philip Klein, editor of the conservative National Review, says this freeze was "much worse" than the first and will be "harder to sweep under the rug." "It's tough to see how much longer he can serve as the highest-ranking Republican in the Senate if he is not in a position to handle basic questions from reporters," he writes. (More Mitch McConnell stories.)
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