After being publicly paralyzed, the Republican Senate Majority Leader will leave office

Mitch McConnellThe 82-year-old Republican majority leader in the US Senate announced on Wednesday that he will leave office in November 2024 when the presidential elections are held and after some health attacks he has suffered in recent months, including two appearances before the press there. He was paralyzed for several seconds.

In March 2023, he was hospitalized with a concussion and had to receive help in front of the cameras after losing his show thread and remaining mute and paralyzed.

McConnell was minority leader between 2007 and 2015, then in an influential majority until 2021, and has since been minority leader again.

“One of the most underappreciated talents in life is knowing when the time is right Move on to the next chapter of life. And so today I stand before you to tell you that this will be my last term as Republican Leader of the Senate.”

McConnell He doesn't have a good relationship With the former President of the United States and potential Republican nominee for the White House Donald Trump (2017-2021) and was the subject of increasing questions within his party.

He said: “Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular time. I have a lot of flaws, but misunderstanding politics is not one of them.”

More than half of the Senate Republican caucus has already shown support for Trump in the party's primaries, but McConnell was not one of them.

In fact, in his speech, McConnell Trump was not quoted even once.But he had words of affection for former President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989), with whom he began his political career.

“When I got here I was happy if anyone remembered my name. President Reagan called me Mitch O'Donnell. I thought I was very close. My wife, Elaine, and I got married on President Reagan's birthday, February 6. It's a romantic thing to admit “But Reagan means a lot to both of us.”

The veteran Republican politician, a senator since 1985, will leave the position of leader but will continue as senator at least until 2027, when his current term ends.

In August 2023, after being paralyzed for the second time in a few days in front of the press and looking visibly confused, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre shared US President Joe Biden's wishes to have McConnell, whom the president knows well because of their 24 years together in the Senate. And he will recover soon.

“Obviously we wish him the best and a speedy recovery. They have worked together and have known each other for a long time,” he said.

A month earlier, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, a former orthopedic surgeon and the third-highest-ranking Republican in the Senate, expressed concern, despite the improvement he had shown at the time.

In late August 2023, a journalist asked him about his plans to run for re-election. “What do I think about what?” The lawmaker asked, somewhat confused, to repeat the question.

Later, after the journalist clarified, he was able to whisper: “Oh, of course.” He smiled and remained paralyzed, staring blankly ahead, for about 30 seconds.

A maid had to step in, put her arm around his back and speak gently to guide him. Two minutes later, the woman ended the press conference.

At the end of July, meanwhile, A similar episode occurred with McConnell. He approached the podium for his weekly news conference and began talking about the annual defense bill, which he said was moving forward with “good bipartisan cooperation.” But then he seemed to lose the thread and was left in an endless “eh…”

He remained in this position for 20 seconds, and after a suggestion from his colleagues, he retired to his office.