Greene calls McConnell unfit for office after 2nd freeze-up

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “not fit for office” after he appeared to freeze up at a podium Wednesday for the second time in recent weeks while taking questions from reporters.

“Severe aging health issues and/or mental health incompetence in our nation’s leaders MUST be addressed,” Greene wrote on Wednesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. She attached a clip from the incident earlier in the day.

“Biden, McConnell, Feinstein, and Fetterman are examples of people who are not fit for office and it’s time to be serious about it,” Greene continued, comparing McConnell’s freeze-up to what she suggested were health-related conditions affecting President Biden, along with Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and John Fetterman (Pa.). 

Lawmakers have expressed similar health concerns about Feinstein’s mental capabilities, with a small number in her party even calling on her to resign. Fetterman checked himself into a hospital for several weeks to get treatment for clinical depression. He also survived a stroke during his campaign.

Biden is the oldest president in history to be elected to the White House and has acknowledged in interviews that questions about his age are “totally legitimate” but said he’s fully capable of running for reelection. According to the White House, his doctor has given him a clean bill of health. 

In a subsequent post, Greene raised the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment, which addresses succession and disability as it applies to the president. 

“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. 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,” she wrote. 

Greene’s comments echo some arguments expressed by members of both parties, who have raised concerns about an aging Senate, both in terms of mental acuity and in terms of reflecting the demographics of their constituents. The median age in the U.S. Senate is 65.3 years, according to Pew Research Center.