Sen. Mike Rounds says Mitch McConnell knew he could freeze-up after concussion – but
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said there’s ‘no question’ he wants Mitch McConnell to remain Senate Minority Leader, claiming the Kentucky lawmaker was in ‘good shape’ when they spoke on Saturday despite rising concerns over his fitness for office following back-to-back incidents.
Following Leader McConnell’s concerning freeze-up during a press conference on Wednesday, Sen. Rounds insists the 81-year-old is still ‘sharp and shrewd’ and up for his role.
The 30-second freeze came just over a month after another eerily similar event where McConnell froze at the podium during a press conference at the Capitol. Both times reporters were asking McConnell about his future and whether he plans to run for reelection in 2026.
During a phone call on Saturday, McConnell told Rounds that he was expecting to have spells of lightheadedness following his concussion in March – and said it was a coincidence that the only two episodes he’s had were captured on camera.
Sen. Mike Rounds said Senate Leader Mitch McConnell knew he could experience lightheadedness after his concussion – and insists both on-camera times he froze-up were the only two incidents since the March fall
Leader McConnell froze during a press conference in Kentucky on Wednesday after another incident in late July. It comes after McConnell fell in March and suffered a concussion
Meanwhile, presidential hopeful Nikki Haley is proposing that all members of Congress, both incumbent and newcomer, should be required to provide doctor notes confirming their mental acuity – just like lawmakers have to hand over financial disclosures to run for office.
Rounds relayed to CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning what McConnell told him during their Saturday call.
He said the Leader told him: ‘I had that concussion. They warned me that I would be lightheaded in the future and that I have got to be aware of it. It happened twice. It just so happens I’m doing it in front of reporters.’
Rounds added that McConnell ‘felt good yesterday.’
‘He said he’s got to watch his hydration levels. Dr. Monahan, who is also my physician there at the Senate, he’s sharp,’ the South Dakota Republican said. ‘And if he says that Mitch is ready to go, then Mitch is ready to go.’
Following the latest freeze, reports emerged that GOP senators are planning an emergency meeting as they come back into session to discuss the future of the Party’s leadership.
At least a dozen offices told DailyMail.com last week that they had not heard of any plans for such a meeting.
‘Mitch will come back in front of us, and he will discuss it with the entire team,’ Rounds told CNN. ‘He’s been busy. He’s been working around his own state. But he’s also been doing the fund-raising that is required of a leader. And I think that’s been a big job for him as well during this break.’
He added: ‘Mitch is sharp, and he is shrewd. He understands what needs to be done. I will leave it up to him as to how he wants to discuss that with American public. But there’s no doubt in my mind that he is perfectly capable of continuing on at this stage of the game.’
Nikki Haley, 51, feels it’s vital to evaluate elderly lawmakers’ mental competency, but suggested on Sunday that she’s open to making it a requirement for all members of Congress so there’s no discrimination on who gets checked.
The proposal comes just days after McConnell’s latest freeze – and months after Haley already suggested a 75-year-old age limit for those who can run for president.
‘I think there should be mental competency tests,’ Haley told NBC’s Face the Nation on Sunday morning, adding that it should be done even if it’s ‘for the entire Congress.’
Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said Sunday that there should be mental competency tests for everyone running for Congress – incumbent and newcomer alike
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze during a press conference in Kentucky on Wednesday months after suffering a concussion. The 30-second freeze-up is the second on-camera freeze in the span of a month
‘These are basic tests. These are – tell us where you were born, name four words that start with the same letter, how many grandchildren do you have?’ she listed in assuring the exams are easy and will assure mental capacity to serve in office.
‘When a candidate files to run for office – incumbent or newcomer – they have to give their financial disclosures,’ Haley added. ‘They should also give a notice from the doctor that tells about their mental capacity. I think that we need that.’
Haley has faced criticism from Trump world for her age limit of 75, claiming that she was specifically targeting the ex-President with that limitation. But on Sunday, she said that there needs to be some standard put in place, and said that could even be at the age of 50.
Haley’s proposals come as the top ages in the top tiers of the federal government continue to rise.
President Joe Biden, 80, is the oldest person ever elected President. Donald Trump is 77, meaning that if either Biden or Trump wins in 2024, they will set yet another record for the oldest-ever president.
The Senate is run by the 81-year-old minority leader and 72-year-old Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Up until the 2022 midterms, the House was run by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is now 83.
McConnell’s age and health scares have gained new scrutiny after he froze for 30 seconds during a press conference in Kentucky on Wednesday. It came just a month after an eerily similar incident when speaking with reporters at the Capitol in late July. Colleagues helped lead him away from the podium and back to his office.
Both freeze-ups came just months after McConnell fell at the Washington D.C. Waldorf Astoria, once the Trump Hotel. He suffered a concussion and broken ribs. It took six weeks for his recovery.
The latest episode echoes an eerily similar instance just weeks ago when McConnell froze mid-press conference while speaking just off the Senate floor, requiring assistance from fellow lawmakers to walk him back to his office
McConnell earlier this year suffered a concussion and broken rib when he tripped and hit his head at the Waldorf Astoria and was admitted to hospital for treatment for a week
Concerns are also rising of the health of 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who reportedly had to get her aides to remind her what she was voting for on the Senate floor
Capitol Physician Dr. Brian Monahan immediately cleared McConnell for normal work the day after the latest freeze.
The doctor said it’s normal to experience lightheadedness in concussion recovery. He also said the episode could be attributed to dehydration.
When asked about McConnell continuing to serve in Senate leadership, Rounds said: ‘Oh, yes, no question.’
‘There’s a lot of folks out there that would like to see him go, but that’s because he is a very capable leader,’ he told CNN’s Dana Bash. ‘And he’s one of these kind of guys that, if you could take him out of the leadership role in advance, you might end up in a better position if you were a competitor of his.’
‘But on the Republican side, we all understand that he’s good,’ Rounds insisted. ‘He’s good for our party. He sees the long road ahead. He looks a long ways ahead. And when all the rest of us are sitting back, he’s the guy that takes the spears and the arrows, so that we don’t have to.’
McConnell’s freeze comes as 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) also faces immense criticism for her continued health issues and her advanced age.
Voters are also concerned about President Biden’s age, with a new poll last week showing 77 percent of Americans think he is too old to serve another four-year term.
‘We can’t stand watching Dianne Feinstein sit there and be told by an aide how she should vote,’ Haley told NBC’s Robert Costa. ‘We can’t worry about Mitch McConnell being frozen at a podium. We can’t have Joe Biden forget where he is.’
‘Our enemies are watching all of this,’ she added. ‘And every time they have an instance like that, America is less safe because our enemies think we are out of control – and that has got to stop.’