Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) are among the Republicans calling out 81-year-old Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) following his second on-camera freeze-up in recent weeks.
“Severe aging health issues and/or mental health incompetence in our nation’s leaders MUST be addressed,” Greene wrote on X. She listed McConnell, as well as retiring 90-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), President Joe Biden, and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) as “examples of people who are not fit for office.”
“These politician’s staff and family members should be ashamed of themselves by enabling and allowing their loved ones to remain in office all to hold power,” Greene added. “We are talking about our country’s national security and it’s all at stake! 25th amendment and other measures need to be on the table.”
The 25th Amendment deals with presidential and vice-presidential vacancies as well as presidential disability.
Greene included a video of the incident in which McConnell appeared to go blank for a full 30 seconds. A similar freeze-up occurred in late July.
His office said in a statement Wednesday that McConnell “felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today.”
The initial incident drew renewed calls for age limits for members of Congress, as well as concern about the health of the longtime Kentucky senator, who suffered a concussion and a rib fracture from a fall in April.
And now, after the latest freeze-up, prominent Republicans such as Greene and Gaetz are echoing those concerns.
“Yikes,” Gaetz commented on the incident.
Republican congressional candidate Stephanie Phillips said it’s “time to resign,” adding that “these people don’t know when their time is up.”
Similar reactions came from non-Republicans as well.
“For goodness sake, the family, friends, and staff of Senators Feinstein and McConnell are doing them and our country a tremendous disservice,” posted Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn). “It’s time for term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court, and some basic human decency.”
And former presidential candidate Andrew Yang similarly weighed in, writing: “Term limits please. Dianne Feinstein too this is not a party thing it’s a human and common sense thing.”
But at least one Republican came to McConnell’s defense—former Republican National Committee chairperson Michael Steele.
“I always find it amusing, all the 40-somethings who are right now talking about, ‘Oh, age limits,’ and ‘Oh my god, they’re too old,’” he told MSNBC. “When they get that age, they’re gonna do the exact same thing.”
A poll conducted for Newsweek prior in early August found that 64% of eligible voters believe McConnell should resign, and that 42% of those surveyed were “very concerned” about McConnell’s ability to “discharge his duties in office given his age.”
