On Tuesday afternoon, Mitch McConnell was wheeled out of his Washington home toward a waiting car, where a reporter asked him several questions and got no verbal answer to any of them.
A vascular surgeon had already weighed in on scenes like this one just days earlier. Watching footage of McConnell from last week, Dr. Anahita Dua told the Daily Beast, “Unless he’s something different from the patients that I see day to day, he is in no position to be going onto the Senate floor, listening to hours of testimony, reading bills, and making executive decisions when he’s probably in pain, probably unable to do the basic things like something as simple as he needs to go to the bathroom.”
That earlier concern traced back to a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, where McConnell needed step-by-step help just to cast a single vote. Chief of Staff Terry Carmack and colleagues in the room called his name twice before he managed a hoarse “aye” on the Farm Bill, which passed by one vote.
Tuesday’s video, filmed by independent journalist Desirée Townsend, showed McConnell heading to his office ahead of a 5:30 p.m. roll call vote. It’s his second week back following a 92-day absence tied to a fall and pneumonia in June.
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Townsend pressed him on whether he even wanted to be there. “Senator McConnell, do you want to go to work?” she said. “Do you want to be at work, sir? Would you rather be home? You’d rather be home?”
McConnell stayed quiet. He slowly turned his head toward her instead and raised his right hand in a peace sign, the same gesture he’s used repeatedly in recent days whenever reporters have tried to question him.
Carmack held an umbrella over McConnell in the rain before getting into the vehicle himself. Townsend redirected her question his way. “Terry, is it safe bringing him back to the Senate like this?” He didn’t answer either. The car door closed with McConnell still facing the camera.
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. pic.twitter.com/00FKRpDWE3
— Desirée Townsend (@DesireeReports) September 22, 2026
The same gesture showed up again later that evening at the Capitol. A reporter called out, “Peace, yeah. Peace, Senator.” McConnell returned the sign without a word.
Senator Mitch McConnell returned home after a long day at work. He spent approximately three hours at the Capitol, where he returned to the Senate to vote. pic.twitter.com/dP4C7G4ljK
— Desirée Townsend (@DesireeReports) September 22, 2026
A reply underneath read: “If a peace sign is the only way you can communicate, then I think it’s time to hang it up and go back to the mother ship.”
If a peace sign is the only way you can communicate then I think it’s time to hang it up and go back to the mother ship
— Camp Cringe (@campcringe) September 23, 2026
According to the Daily Beast, McConnell’s office hasn’t responded to a request for comment on the video. He continued collecting his full Senate salary, $174,000 a year, throughout his earlier absence, earning roughly $43,500 across the 92 days he missed, including 60 recorded votes.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
