--- title: Mitch McConnell Appears to Freeze During News Conference description: The second such episode in recent weeks, it will likely raise new questions about McConnell’s health. canonical: https://time.com/6309832/mitch-mcconnell-freezes-kentucky-news-conference/ author: Nik Popli article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-08-30T19:30:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T16:20:49.723Z article:section: Politics og:title: Mitch McConnell Appears to Freeze During News Conference og:description: The second such episode in recent weeks, it will likely raise new questions about McConnell’s health. og:url: https://time.com/6309832/mitch-mcconnell-freezes-kentucky-news-conference/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2dd1422ccdd78882/698a3fe04ee26246aa31baf9/mitch-mcconnell-2023-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2400 og:image:height: 1350 og:image:alt: Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell appears to freeze up in Covington og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Mitch McConnell Appears to Freeze During News Conference twitter:description: The second such episode in recent weeks, it will likely raise new questions about McConnell’s health. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2dd1422ccdd78882/698a3fe04ee26246aa31baf9/mitch-mcconnell-2023-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # For The Second Time, Sen. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Aug 30, 2023 7:30 PM UTC  Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell appears to freeze up for more than 30 seconds during a public appearance before he was escorted away, the second such incident in a little more than a month, after an event with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Covington, Kentucky, U.S. August 30, 2023 in a still image from video. ABC Affiliate WCPO via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell appears to freeze up for more than 30 seconds during a public appearance before he was escorted away, the second such incident in a little more than a month, after an event with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Covington, Kentucky, U.S. August 30, 2023 in a still image from video. ABC Affiliate WCPO via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT WCPO/Reuters  by [Nik Popli](https://time.com/author/nik-popli/)  ## Nik Popli Staff Writer Aug 30, 2023 7:30 PM UTC Senator Mitch McConnell, the longtime Republican leader, appeared to freeze for about 30 seconds during an exchange with reporters at an event in his home state of Kentucky on Wednesday. It was the second time that he has appeared unable to speak at a news conference in recent weeks. The incident occurred after McConnell, 81, was asked about running for re-election in 2026\. The Senate Minority leader twice asked the reporter to repeat the question, then stammered briefly and stopped speaking. After McConnell stared ahead for roughly 10 seconds, an aide stepped in and asked whether he had heard the question. McConnell replied that he did but continued to look off into the distance. “All right, I’m sorry, you all. We’re going to need a minute,” the aide said. McConnell regained his composure after roughly 30 seconds of silence, answering two other questions posed to him, though both needed to be repeated. A McConnell spokesperson later said that the Senator "felt momentarily lightheaded,” and will consult a doctor before his next event as "a prudential measure,” according to an aide. The latest incident is likely to raise additional questions about McConnell’s overall health, and his ability to lead the Senate Republican caucus, which will be tasked with [averting a government shutdown](https://time.com/6299046/congress-spending-bills-recess-shutdown/) in the coming weeks—needing to pass 11 of the 12 annual appropriations bills before Sept. 30\. McConnell notably took a back seat role during this summer’s talks over the debt ceiling, deferring to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to lead negotiations with the White House despite McConnell’s history of reaching agreements with Democrats. Health concerns are not a new issue for the Senator: he was treated for a concussion and fractured rib after falling at a hotel in Washington in March, returning to the Senate several weeks later. A survivor of polio as a child, McConnell is often seen walking on stairs one at a time, resting a hand on aides for balance. Previous falls have caused serious injuries, including a fractured shoulder in 2019 when he fell at his Louisville home. In late July, McConnell froze mid-sentence during his weekly news conference on Capitol Hill and was briefly escorted away from the microphones. His office said at the time that he was “lightheaded,” while Republicans later claimed that he was dehydrated. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6309832/mitch-mcconnell-freezes-kentucky-news-conference/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6309832/mitch-mcconnell-freezes-kentucky-news-conference/"},"headline":"For The Second Time, Sen. 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