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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham voiced concern for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after he “froze” again at a podium during an event in his home state of Kentucky earlier in the day, a repeat of a similar episode he experienced late last month while talking to the press on Capitol Hill.
McConnell experienced a momentary pause during a press conference in Covington, Kentucky, on Wednesday when questioned about his intention to run for re-election in 2026. About a month ago, the same thing happened during his weekly press conference.
“Our government is about to begin what are monumental negotiations over the budget and appropriations,” Ingraham said. “Five men are supposed to play a dominant role in those talks. Biden is 80 years old, Schumer, 72, McConnell, 81,” Ingraham said during her opening monologue on Wednesday.
“And [House Speaker Kevin] McCarthy, Hakeem Jeffries, both in their 50s. Now this means at least two of those five involved in deciding how we spend trillions of our tax dollars, they’re no longer capable of working full time, and both sadly show obvious symptoms of both serious physical and cognitive decline,” she said, likely referring to McConnell and Biden.
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Ingraham also highlighted concerns about President Joe Biden’s well-being. Biden has experienced several falls, including one at the Air Force Academy on June 1. He also fell from his bike in June 2022 and encountered stumbles on the steps of Air Force One on two separate occasions. As part of adjustments related to his age, Biden now uses an alternative set of stairs to board Air Force One, among other accommodations.
“Biden is likely compromised not just by his health but by the millions and millions his family has made overseas,” Ingraham charged. “But being corrupt is bad. Being corrupt and senile is even worse.
“And as for Sen. McConnell, he should be at home enjoying his twilight years. He did some really good stuff with Supreme Court nominations, and he should get credit for that,” she added. “But every member of the Republican conference should have compassionately urged him to step aside five weeks ago, which is the last time when this happened. The fact that no one did this to our knowledge is stunning and frankly irresponsible,” she added (see video below).
After the July ‘freezing’ incident, McConnell said he intends to lead the GOP for the remainder of the 118th Congress, according to a statement released by his Kentucky office.
“Questions about the future of McConnell, 81, were swiftly raised this week after he froze for 30 seconds during a news conference. The statement doesn’t address his plans for the next Congress, which begins in 2025,” CNN reported.
In the midst of the weekly Senate Republican Agenda press conference, McConnell was addressing reporters when he unexpectedly paused. He stood at the podium for several moments in silence, and his fellow colleagues eventually intervened to guide him away.
He returned shortly after to take questions.
CNN’s Manu Raju reported that when McConnell eventually came back to the press event, he told reporters that he was “fine” and took several questions.
Raju subsequently heard from a McConnell aide that the GOP leader felt “lightheaded” when the episode happened.
“From a McConnell aide: ‘He felt light-headed and stepped away for a moment. He came back to handle Q and A, which as everyone observed was sharp,’” Raju tweeted.
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Later in the day, he joked about getting a call from President Joe Biden. “The president called to see how I was doing. McConnell told reporters, “I told him I got sandbagged.”
In March, McConnell suffered a fall at a Washington-area hotel and received extended treatment for a concussion. The longtime Kentucky senator fell after attending an event, injuring his head and fracturing a rib, the Associated Press reported.
