Watch | For second time, Mitch McConnell freezes during press conference in US
Top US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell appears to freeze up for more than 30 seconds.
For the second time in almost a month, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell froze for a short span of time while addressing the reporters.
At a press conference in Covington, Kentucky, the 81-year-old leader took a more than 30-second pause when he was asked whether he is willing to run for re-election in 2026.
The aides flanking the senator tried to prompt him, but McConnell took more than several seconds to recover. After recovering, the leaderanswered two more questions from the reporters, which were repeated by the staff.
No comments were made by him regarding his health before he left the press meet with his aides.
"Leader McConnell felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today," said a spokesperson, after the incident. He added that the leader "feels fine" but will consult a doctor before his next event as "a prudential measure".
After speaking to McConnell on Wednesday afternoon, Senate Minority Whip John Thune said that “the leader sounded like his usual self and was in good spirits”, as per a spokesperson for the South Dakota Republican.
First verbal lapse of McConnell
The first verbal lapse of McConnell occurred when he was present at a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington DC on July 26.
In the conference, the leader had paused for approximately 20 seconds in the middle of his sentence, before he was ushered away by his fellow Republican senators.
Later, he returned to the press conference and informed the reporters that he was feeling "fine" and had felt "lightheaded".
McConnell, who has been leading the narrow minority of the Republican party in the upper chamber of Congress, was hospitalised for a week after he suffered a fractured rib and a concussion following a fall outside a Washington area hotel in March.
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He was shifted to a rehabilitation facility and did not come back to the Senate till mid-April.
The latest episode of the leader freezing for seconds will once again raise questions about the Kentucky senator's health as it is likely to be a busy autumn legislative session, as Congress tries to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of October.
Press Secretary of US President Joe Biden, Karine Jean-Pierre said that "we wish him well, a speedy recovery" when questioned during a press briefing.
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