Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing calls to retire after appearing weak on Wednesday after falling and injuring himself the day before.
Bee On October 82, the outgoing leader of the Republicans in the Senate fought a battle range of health problems in recent years, including several falls, including one where he was treated for a concussion.
On Tuesday, the Republican’s downfall sent shockwaves through the Capitol, with the press rushing to his office to get a glimpse of the leader and to see if he was okay.
He sprained his wrist and suffered a cut on his face.
After the fall, a medical official indicated that he was doing well despite the fall. McConnell was later seen walking around his work despite the dust kicking up.
But a day later, the Kentuckian entered the Senate, unsteady and clutching an aide’s forearm as he made the short walk from his office to the Senate floor.
He watched his steps as he slowly strolled down the hall with a large bandage on his left cheek.
And now his weak state is fueling the left’s calls for retirement.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is assisted by staff as he heads to the Senate chamber to vote on December 11, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
The Republican was given a bandage to treat a cut on his face below his left eye
The senator suffered an injury to his left wrist. Here McConnell is seen in a cast
“McConnell must resign. This is embarrassing. The Senate is not a retirement home,” TikTok’s Libs posted on X.
“How can the same people who clamored for Joe Biden to step aside not also demand that McConnell resign from the Senate?” journalist Mehdi Hasan wrote.
“After McConnell’s fall yesterday…I thought it was fair to share this photo we got from DCA the day after the election,” journalist Emily Jahinsky wrote on X with a photo of McConnell being rolled around in a chair inside a building in Washington, DC. airport.
“Not a bomb, but evidence that the senator is struggling with an age beyond what is publicly projected.”
‘We must actively encourage older politicians to retire. And not just during the primaries. It is the human thing to do,” conservative pundit Marina Medvin wrote on X.
“Mitch McConnell isn’t even a Boomer, he’s part of the Silent Generation! I have been saying for years that it is time to resign. This is getting ridiculous.’
“Mitch McConnell needs to retire ASAP,” attorney Paul Ingrassia wrote on X.
The latest health problems for the octogenarian, who first took office in 1985, comes after his shock announcement that he would step down from leadership earlier this year.
In the eyes of some Republican senators, his resignation came as a relief as McConnell had a years-long feud with newly elected President Donald Trump.
McConnell and Trump met this year for the first time since the newly elected president’s first term. The Kentuckian excoriated Trump after Jan. 6, but the two have since developed an apparent working relationship.
Still, McConnell’s health problems remain a concern.
He suffered several health problems after a fall last year, which led to bizarre ‘freezing episodes’ that raised questions about his cognitive skills.
McConnell fell several times in the weeks before he froze for 20 seconds at the Capitol in July 2023 and had to be helped by his colleagues.
He also had his face planted as he stepped off a plane at Washington’s Reagan Airport.
McConnell joked about his worrying pause and insisted he was fine, but his office had not confirmed what caused the episode.
The walk from McConnell’s office to the Senate floor, where he gives speeches and votes, is short compared to other senators. As a longtime leader, McConnell’s office is in the Capitol, where other senators who are not in charge have offices in outbuildings
The aide apparently accompanied McConnell to and from the chamber on Wednesday
McConnell’s ally Senator John Barrasso told reporters the leader was doing well
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky wears a bandage on his face as he walks to cast a vote on the Senate floor after falling during a luncheon on Capitol Hill
In addition to the plane incident, McConnell suffered two more falls in 2023, one of which resulted in a concussion.
There was also widespread speculation as to whether he was neurologically affected by the leaks.
As he announced his plans to step down from leadership, he said it had been an “extremely difficult” time for his family after his sister-in-law Angela Chao drowned at her Texas estate in February.
“Last week I turned 82, the end of my contributions is closer than I would like,” he continued on the floor.
“If you had told me 40 years later that I would be standing before you as the longest-serving Senate leader in American history, quite frankly, I would have told you you were out of your mind,” a very emotional McConnell said in a lighthearted manner. moment.
The Minority Leader, a polio survivor, made light of recent health problems on Wednesday, telling President Joe Biden that he too was sandbagged after being frozen halfway through his sentence.
Paramedics roll a wheelchair into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office after he fell
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell walks off the Senate floor after falling
Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell fell during a Senate luncheon on Tuesday
Reports suggest McConnell has fallen at least three times this year – and other questions about his neurological condition arise after he froze during his press conference
“One of life’s most underrated talents is knowing when it’s time to move on to the next chapter of life,” McConnell continued.
“So today I stand before you to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”
He said he is “not going anywhere anytime soon” and will remain a U.S. senator despite stepping down from leadership.
He will be eligible for re-election in two years’ time in 2026.
Last month, Sen. John Thune, 63, was chosen to replace McConnell and usher in Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda with a new Republican majority.