Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appeared to freeze up while speaking to reporters his home state Kentucky on Wednesday when asked if he will seek reelection in 2026.

What You Need To Know

  • Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appeared to freeze up for the second time this summer

  • McConnell paused while speaking to reporters his home state Kentucky on Wednesday when asked if he will seek reelection in 2026

  • A spokesperson for McConnell said that he felt "momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today"

  • On Thursday, Congress' attending physician cleared McConnell to "continue his schedule as planned"

  • In July, the Republican leader similarly paused during a press conference on Capitol Hill; he was conducting the weekly Republican leadership news conference when he stopped speaking and appeared to freeze. His colleagues asked him if he wanted to go to his office

Video shows that McConnell, 81, appeared to begin answering the question before pausing. An aide stepped in and asked if McConnell heard the question, to which he appeared to reply "yes" softly without continuing to speak. Another aide stepped in and spoke to McConnell before the Kentucky Republican began to address reporters again.

He answered other questions -- including about Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron running for governor -- but not about his reelection prospects, and he appeared to have difficulty speaking.

A spokesperson for McConnell said that he felt "momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today."

An aide to the Kentucky Republican said that while McConnell feels "fine," he'll be seeing a doctor before his next event as a "prudential measure." On Thursday, Dr. Brian Monahan, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress, said that he consulted with McConnell's neurology team and cleared the Kentucky Republican to "continue with his schedule as planned" after reviewing Wednesday's events.

"Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration," Dr. Monahan wrote in a letter released by McConnell's office.

Earlier this year, McConnell was hospitalized after falling and hitting his head at a hotel in Washington. He suffered a fractured rib and a concussion and was out of the Senate for several weeks as he recovered.

In July, the Republican leader similarly paused during a press conference on Capitol Hill. He was conducting the weekly Republican leadership news conference when he stopped speaking and appeared to freeze. His colleagues asked him if he wanted to go to his office. He did not answer, but slowly walked back to his office with an aide and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a former orthopedic surgeon who is the No. 3 Republican in the Senate.

A few minutes later, McConnell returned to the podium and was asked about his health and what happened. He said he was fine. A McConnell aide said he felt lightheaded and stepped away for a moment. The aide requested anonymity to speak about the senator's health.

This latest incident, the second in as many months, is likely to raise more questions about the Kentucky Republican's fitness to serve, as well as reignite calls for age limits in Congress. Conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, for instance, described McConnell as "not fit for office" after the incident.

But President Joe Biden, on the other hand, said that he spoke to McConnell on Thursday and expressed that he is not is concerned about the Kentucky Republican's ability to do his job.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and has led Republicans in the upper chamber of Congress since 2007.

Spectrum News' Maddie Gannon and Deborah Harbsmeier contributed to this report.