Mitch McConnell Announces Whether He Will Retire After Freezing Twice

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced whether he will retire from office after freezing in front of reporters twice.

McConnell told reporters “I am going to finish my term as leader, and I’m going to finish my Senate term.”

Sen. McConnell will be close to 84 years old when his term expires in 2027.

Facing questions about his health, Senate Minority Leader McConnell dismissed questions about retirement, vowing to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027. https://t.co/95cjQDEVaZ

— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 6, 2023

Rumors began swirling that McConnell would retire this year after he froze in front of reporters for a second time.

Take a look:

Senator Mitch McConnell freezes up again during a press conference. pic.twitter.com/Lbz2lkMBPC

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 30, 2023

Per NBC:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed questions Wednesday about whether he’ll retire, vowing to serve out his terms as Republican leader and as a senator from Kentucky.

“I have no announcements to make on that subject,” he told reporters when he was asked whether he has any plans to retire soon. “I am going to finish my term as leader, and I’m going to finish my Senate term.”

McConnell is on a two-year term as GOP leader, which expires after the 2024 election. His term as a senator expires in January 2027.

McConnell, 81, made the remarks at his first news conference since he returned to Washington and one week after the second of two apparent freeze-ups he has had while speaking to reporters, which have sparked fresh questions about his health.

Senator Josh Hawley has major doubt about McConnell’s health.

HAWLEY ON MCCONNELL'S HEALTH:

"If you're concerned about the president's ability to do his job…then you've gotta be concerned when it's somebody of your own party!"

"Do I think he should be leader? No!" pic.twitter.com/Clg4VhmwIa

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 6, 2023

Per The Hill:

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who did not back Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in his latest leadership race, voiced his concerns about the Senate Republican leader’s fitness following his recent freeze-ups.

Hawley said he worried McConnell’s recent health issues are distracting from the effort by Republicans to take back the Senate in the 2024 election.

“In my home state of Missouri I was asked everywhere I went about Senator McConnell – before the most recent incident and then absolutely afterward,” Hawley told reporters Wednesday.

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“2024 is an awfully important election for Republicans,” the Missouri senator later continued. “We should’ve taken back the Senate last year – we didn’t. This is our shot to take it back, and I just hope we’re going to be focused on that.”

When asked by CNN correspondent Manu Raju if he worries McConnell is “not the right person to bring you guys back to the majority” in the Senate, Hawley responded “absolutely.”