Mitch McConnell is back in the Senate after a three-month medical absence. But a new video of the 84-year-old senator being wheeled out of his Washington home as aides blocked the cameras is raising fresh questions about his ability to carry out his duties.
The video, posted Tuesday by conservative journalist Desirée Townsend, shows McConnell being taken to a waiting vehicle ahead of a Senate vote.
Townsend tried to get the Kentucky Republican to answer a few basic questions about his weekend and whether he was ready to return to work.
McConnell didn’t answer.
As the car door began closing, he slowly raised a hand and formed a peace sign, appearing frail and barely responsive.
Townsend wrote that McConnell “appeared somewhat confused by the rain and showed a delayed response” and gave “no verbal acknowledgment.”
It’s the latest public moment to draw attention to McConnell’s condition since his return to Capitol Hill.
McConnell was hospitalized in June after a fall at his Washington home. He later said he had been briefly unconscious and was treated for a mild case of pneumonia. He spent weeks recovering, including time in a rehabilitation facility, before returning home in August.
He finally returned to the Senate on September 14 after roughly three months away.
At the time, McConnell acknowledged that he was still recovering and said he was “not quite back to 100 percent.” He also said the lingering effects of childhood polio had made his recovery more difficult.
Since returning, however, McConnell has had several highly visible moments that have drawn renewed scrutiny.
During a Senate Agriculture Committee meeting last week, he appeared to freeze when his name was called for a vote and required prompting from colleagues and staff before casting his vote. He ultimately voted “aye.”
Watch the clip below:
Senator McConnell was just wheeled out a little after 4 p.m. to head to his office ahead of the 5:30 p.m. roll call vote. He appeared somewhat confused by the rain and showed a delayed response, but still gave no verbal acknowledgment. https://t.co/00FKRpDWE3
— Desirée Townsend (@DesireeReports) September 22, 2026
