Mitch McConnell’s advisers insist his decision to step down from Senate leadership is not related to his health.
The 81-year-old Kentucky Republican announced in an emotional speech from the Senate floor Wednesday that he will end his term as Senate Republican leader in November but will continue to serve in Congress.
It follows a series of health problems in recent years that have raised questions about his physical and mental state and whether he is fit to continue serving in the Senate.
McConnell’s advisers, however, insist that his decision to end his leadership role has nothing to do with his apparently failing health.
“After all this time, I’m still excited to walk into the Capitol,” McConnell said as his voice cracked with emotion. “But Father Time remains undefeated.”
McConnell, a polio survivor, is the longest-serving Senate leader in American history, having served nearly 18 years in office.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, made a surprise announcement Wednesday that he will step down from Republican leadership in November but will continue to serve Kentucky in the U.S. Senate.
Aides to the Senate Republican leader insist the decision had nothing to do with McConnell’s health, despite a series of troubling incidents over the past year, including two periods of freezing. Pictured: McConnell froze for more than 30 seconds during a public appearance in Kentucky on Aug. 30, 2023 before he was escorted off the podium.
Last year, McConnell suffered a concussion after a fall and experienced two separate periods in which he became verbally and physically paralyzed while speaking in public.
This led to constant calls over the past few months – especially from Donald Trump supporters – for the Senate minority leader to step aside and let a younger person take over.
McConnell remains the last member of the Republican leadership in Congress not to support Trump’s re-election for president.
“One of life’s most underrated talents is knowing when it’s time to move on to the next chapter of life,” McConnell said in his Senate speech Wednesday.
“It’s time to think about another season,” he added.
The Kentucky Republican was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was elected conference president in 2007, but has faced hostility from conservatives who have pledged their loyalty to Trump.
McConnell suddenly stopped speaking and had to be helped away from the podium by his fellow senators during his news conference at the Capitol on July 26, 2023.
A timeline of Senator McConnell’s physical and mental failings in 2023
McConnell leaves a Republican luncheon Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, after announcing he will step down as House Republican leader. He noted the “particularly difficult” period for his family after his sister-in-law died suddenly this month.
An excited McConnell took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to announce his surprising news, with only about half the seats filled.
He said it has been a “particularly difficult” period for his family after his sister-in-law Angela Chao drowned on their Texas property on February 15.
Angela Chao, director of the dry bulk shipping company, died over the weekend, while her family said they were devastated with grief at the news. Chao is pictured at the New York City Opera pre-gala celebration in 2010.
“I turned 82 last week, the end of my contributions is closer than I would prefer,” he said.
“If you would have told me 40 years later that I would stand before you as the longest-serving Senate leader in American history, frankly I would have told you, you lost your mind,” an emotional McConnell said in a light-hearted moment.
McConnell, who is up for reelection within two years in 2026, said he is “not going anywhere anytime soon” and will remain a U.S. senator despite leaving office.
‘As I thought about when I would deliver any news to the Senate, I always imagined a time when I would have complete clarity and peace about the decline of my work.’ McConnell said. ‘
‘A moment in which I am sure I have helped preserve the ideals in which I firmly believe. He arrived today.’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as he walked to the Senate floor to speak on the floor.
He praised the support of his wife, a former secretary of the Department of Transportation. Elaine Chao, who has been at his side for 31 years.
He said he has a “deep appreciation for the time that helped shape my worldview, unconflicted about the good within our country and the irreplaceable role we play as leader of the free world.”
“That’s why I’m working so hard to get the national security package passed early this month,” he continued.
‘Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular time, I have many flaws. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them.
“One of the most underappreciated talents in life is knowing when it’s time to move on to the next chapter of life,” McConnell continued.
“So today I stand before you to tell you that this will be my last term as Senate Republican leader.”
He said he is “not going anywhere anytime soon” and will remain a U.S. senator, despite leaving office.
An excited McConnell took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to announce his surprising news, with only about half the seats filled.
McConnell spoke effusively of the support of his wife, a former secretary of the Department of Transportation. Elaine Chao, who has been at his side for 31 years
Pictured: Senator-elect Mitch McConnell in Washington, DC on November 26, 1984
Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao greet supporters after his re-election to the Senate in 2004.
Trump and McConnell have had a strained relationship from December 2020when the senator refused to say the election was stolen.
However, the two were in talks about an endorsement that could unite the MAGA and Trump-averse wings of the Republican Party, a source involved confirmed to DailyMail.com.
A nod from the Republican leader could have opened up a whole new class of donors backing Trump, who has already been forced to spend $50 million on bills.
For years, Trump has launched ferocious attacks on McConnell, whom he describes as an “old crow” and even a “piece of s**t.”
McConnell noted that when he came to the Senate, “I was glad someone remembered my name.” During his 1984 campaign, when Reagan was visiting Kentucky, the president called him ‘Mitch O’Donnell.’