Mitch McConnell is making headlines after a newly resurfaced time-lapse video showed the 84-year-old senator appearing to sit almost completely still on the Senate floor for 18 hours during a marathon voting session on June 4th – just 10 days before he was hospitalized.
McConnell was hospitalized on June 14th, the same day emergency services were called to his Washington, D.C. address over reports of an unconscious person.
The sped-up footage, obtained by TMZ DC, shows senators and staff repeatedly moving around the chamber while McConnell remains mostly motionless, sitting in virtually the same position beside an aide who frequently pushes his wheelchair. The footage has understandably fueled even more debate over the veteran Republican’s health. Keep reading for more info…
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Mitch McConnell Appears Almost Motionless During Lengthy Senate Voting Session
The footage was taken during an 18-hour Senate voting session connected to a $70B Republican reconciliation bill, during which senators voted 29 times. The time-lapse footage originated from C-SPAN's coverage of the June 4th Senate session and was later highlighted online, while TMZ DC also obtained separate clips from the voting session.
Throughout the time-lapse, people around the chamber can be seen walking, shifting positions, entering and leaving the room, and carrying out routine activities, while McConnell appears largely still for long stretches of time. Separate footage from the session also appeared to show McConnell – who has served in Congress for more than 40 years – needing assistance while casting a Senate vote.
At one point, McConnell is seen giving a thumbs up to indicate a positive vote before walking away with an aide. A Senate clerk then appeared to speak to them, according to reports, and McConnell subsequently changed his vote, according to the footage. During another vote, a clerk appeared to signal to McConnell that he should vote nay.
Another clip reportedly appeared to show people around McConnell reminding him how to vote when his name was called, further fueling questions online about his health and whether he is well enough to remain in office.
Mitch McConnell Was Hospitalized 10 Days After Senate Footage Was Taken
The newly resurfaced footage has garnered fresh attention because it was filmed just 10 days before McConnell's latest hospitalization, following years of public concern about his health. The veteran senator suffered a concussion and rib fracture after a fall in 2023, and later that year appeared to freeze while speaking to reporters on two separate occasions.
On June 14th, McConnell was hospitalized following a fall at his Washington, D.C. home. Emergency dispatch audio from that morning reportedly described an unconscious person at McConnell's address and referenced "CPR in progress" and a "cardiac arrest," although the recording did not identify the patient as McConnell. He later said he had briefly lost consciousness following the fall, but denied suffering a heart attack or stroke, and revealed that he developed a mild case of pneumonia while hospitalized.
After several weeks in the hospital and a rehabilitation facility, McConnell returned home on August 6th to continue his recovery and physical therapy. However, he has yet to return to Capitol Hill or make a public appearance, and the lack of information surrounding his condition has raised eyebrows and prompted calls for transparency.
McConnell's office has released two different photos of him with his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, along with written updates about his recovery, but many people haven't been buying them. In fact, both photos sparked skepticism online, with social media users questioning whether they had been edited or even altered with AI due to McConnell's noticeably smoother, younger-looking appearance.
Others pointed to the similar framing of the two pictures and questioned why his team hadn't released a video instead. The alleged difference in McConnell's appearance is particularly noticeable when comparing one of the recovery photos with a picture of the senator taken before his hospitalization, as seen above.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is among those calling for McConnell to directly address the public. Beshear said that McConnell "absolutely refuses" to make a video showing that he is alive and well, which he said was concerning.
"His boss[es] are the people of Kentucky, and this is why the Senate, the Republican-controlled Senate, feels so broken," Beshear told CBS News' White House political correspondent Ed O'Keefe on Face the Nation. "They feel like they're not accountable to anyone. All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he's supposed to serve. But you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it."
Reddit Users React To Resurfaced Mitch McConnell Footage
The resurfaced footage unsurprisingly sparked a huge reaction online, with some Reddit users questioning McConnell's health and fitness to remain in office, while others speculated about why he has yet to make a public appearance. And then there were those who thought he had actually passed away already...
"I will never forget the video of him standing there, being asked questions by reporters, and just staring blankly. Then his aid nudges him. They passed that off as 'dehydration'. How can anyone allow a person to serve in that condition? It's not right for them, and definitely not right for the country," one Reddit user wrote.
"He had a stroke. It seems incredibly obvious at this point. He had 2 smaller ones on camera, and this one was more serious. That's why they don't want him on camera. Probably half his face is paralyzed," a second speculated, as a third claimed: "As Mitch wasn't fit to serve before his coma, he certainly isn't fit to serve afterwards."
"He also voted, was told that he voted incorrectly, and he changed his vote because of what he was told. He was always a piece of [expletive] but now he's a piece of [expletive] marionette," a fourth commented.
"This [expletive] is dead and everyone hiding it should be held accountable for fraud at this point," a fifth speculated. "How is this man still in office?" a sixth asked. "This senator is no more. He has ceased to be. He is an ex-senator," a seventh joked.
"This guy is 100% dead. No way we see him again before he 'dies' officially," an eighth speculated. "There's a better chance that Elvis is alive," a ninth joked. "Help me understand the bigger picture. What is the impetus of keeping him actively in the senate for as long as possible?" a tenth asked.
"How is this not some kind of exploitation of the elderly, or abuse?" an eleventh questioned. "There's a video of his brain hitting the pause button mid interview from a while ago lol," a twelfth recalled. "This is weekend at Bernie's," a thirteenth quipped. "How is the public not in outrage that nobody has seen this guy this long, they're going weekend at Bernie Trump for years if they can do Mitch this long," a fourteenth concluded.
