McConnell freezes again during news conference, this time in Covington

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell during a previous appearance in Louisville.
J. Tyler Franklin | LPM

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze up during a news conference in Covington on Thursday.

It’s the second time the 81-year-old Republican publicly suffered from an apparent medical episode in a little over a month.

According to a video posted to Twitter by WLWT reporter Hannah Thomas, McConnell trailed off and paused after he was asked whether he would run for reelection in 2026. A staffer then joined McConnell at the lectern and repeated the question.

In all, the six-term senator silently held on to the podium silently for about 30 seconds. McConnell then fielded two more questions. In response to a question about Daniel Cameron’s bid for governor, he said he thought it would be a “very close race,” and when asked about former President Trump’s indictment in Georgia he said he “wasn’t going to comment on the presidential race.”

This story will be updated.

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Sylvia is Kentucky Public Radio's Capitol reporter. Email her at sgoodman@lpm.org.
Ryland Barton is the Managing Editor for Collaboratives. He's covered politics and state government for NPR member stations KWBU in Waco and KUT in Austin. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Texas. He grew up in Lexington.

Email Ryland at rbarton@lpm.org.