Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called the Senate a “privileged nursing home” after Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell froze while addressing reporters earlier this week, marking the second time in as many months that McConnell has frozen while giving public remarks.
The 81-year-old Senate leader appeared to freeze for 30 seconds while speaking at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday when he was asked whether he plans to run for reelection. An aide walked up to McConnell and asked, “Did you hear the question?” When the senate minority leader failed to respond, the aide said, “We’re going to need a minute.”
After a moment, McConnell responded to aides and was able to continue on with the press conference.
The 51-year-old former South Carolina governor weighed in on Thursday, telling Fox News the situation with McConnell is “sad.”
“No one should feel good about seeing that, any more than we should feel good about seeing Dianne Feinstein, any more than we should feel good about a lot of what’s happening or seeing Joe Biden’s decline,” she said.
Many Republicans have questioned the mental fitness of 90-year-old Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has a brain condition called Ramsay Hunt syndrome due to complications during her recovery from shingles. Feinstein relies on aides to perform the basic duties of her job, sources told the New York Times in May. President Biden, for his part, became the oldest president to take the oath of office when he was sworn-in in January 2021. Biden, who is running for reelection and would be 86 years old at the end of a hypothetical second term, has also faced questions about his mental fitness.
“What I will say is, right now, the Senate is the most privileged nursing home in the country,” Haley said. “I mean, Mitch McConnell has done some great things and he deserves credit. But you have to know when to leave.”
While on the campaign trail, Haley has proposed mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75.
The incident this week came after McConnell was previously escorted away from the press podium on Capitol Hill last month after he suddenly froze for a prolonged period. He stopped speaking in mid-sentence and stared into space for about 30 seconds, leading other senators to step in and check on him.
“Do you want to say anything else to the press?” Republican senator John Barrasso, the third-ranking Republican and a doctor, whispered to him before shuffling him away from reporters.
Barrasso walked with McConnell for a few minutes while other senators continued to conduct the press conference. McConnell returned to address reporters, assuring them, “I’m fine.”
McConnell fell at an event in Washington, D.C., back in March, leaving him with head trauma that required hospitalization. He received treatment for a concussion and was discharged five days later.
McConnell’s team has said he felt lightheaded during both “freeze” incidents. The US Capitol’s attending physician, Dr. Brian Monahan, cleared McConnell to return to work on Thursday, saying that dehydration and the March concussion may have caused the symptoms.
A handful of Republican senators have reportedly floated the idea of holding an emergency meeting when the Senate reconvenes next week to consider McConnell’s leadership, per Politico.