# Mitch McConnell falls twice in Capitol **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 6, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937 "2025-02-06T00:54:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/302 "2026-07-12T22:14:34Z")
Cynical me bets that he didn’t have the pneumonia when he was loaded into the ambulance, nor when he was unloaded at the hospital. (Both my parents got pneumonia while each was in the hospital for something else. They then died fairly shortly thereafter, and pneumonia is on the death certificates as contributing.) ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/303 "2026-07-12T22:42:45Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I’ll assume the picture in that link is not current. He’s holding a newspaper so we could check that for verification although I am 100% certain that is trivial to fake with AI. But that leaves traces too. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/304 "2026-07-12T22:43:11Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I’ll assume the picture in that link is not current. > > EDIT: Google Images can’t find an older version of it anywhere. So, wait and see. I’m seeing claims that the newspaper on his knee is recent (which is likely why they put it there). ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/305 "2026-07-12T22:50:33Z")
So he fell on June 14 and was hospitalized. Why the big secrecy? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/306 "2026-07-12T22:52:54Z")
Welp .., then the question remains: Why not be really open from the get go about how McConnell has been doing? If at no point was he in a health crisis (well, at least once he was stabilized), then what? Secrecy for secrecy’s sake? Secrecy as the default stance? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/307 "2026-07-12T22:53:49Z")
Yet another update: I posted the link in my earlier post on Facebook, and am getting walloped by people saying “Fake news!” or “Did you know this picture first appeared in March?” Sorry if I didn’t dive deep enough. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/308 "2026-07-12T22:55:34Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Yet another update: I posted the link in my earlier post on Facebook, and am getting walloped by people saying “Fake news!” or “Did you know this picture first appeared in March?” I have doubts. That article was from CNN, not FOX. These weird conspiracy theories are getting out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/309 "2026-07-12T22:57:18Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Yet another update: I posted the link in my earlier post on Facebook, and am getting walloped by people saying “Fake news!” or “Did you know this picture first appeared in March?” Appeared in March? I know Facebook is 95% chaff … but are the people posting that expecting that the claim will simply be taken on faith? Any evidence proffered? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/310 "2026-07-12T23:00:43Z")
And my original link there was from a local TV station. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/311 "2026-07-12T23:00:58Z")
Here is a close up of the paper that was posted in the Death Pool thread: > [@2026 Celebrity Death Pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2026-celebrity-death-pool/1025318/1508): > > Speaking of which, the photo they’ve included with their proof-of-life picture (which has Elaine Chao in it (I thought she was in China)) has been manipulated. Check it: [[Imgur] ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/204260084@N04/55389858575/) The logo on the baseball hat is f’ed up and the story isn’t in English or Spanish… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/312 "2026-07-12T23:04:25Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > The logo on the baseball hat is f’ed up and the story isn’t in English or Spanish… The news source doesnt want to give free ad time for another news organ. > **[US Senator Mitch McConnell says absence due to fall and pneumonia](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvge2nd611zo)** > > The veteran Republican says he will not return to work "quite yet", in his first statement following weeks of speculation about his health. > In addition to the statement, McConnell released a photo of himself with his wife holding what appeared to be Sunday’s Washington Post newspaper > **[Mitch McConnell reveals fall led to hospitalization after weeks of silence](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/12/mitch-mcconnell-hospitalization-fall)** > > Senator says in statement he has undergone battery of tests after weeks of mounting speculation about his health > The statement included a smiling picture of McConnell with his wife, Elaine Chao, a tacit response to speculation online that he had died or was incapacitated. McConnell held a copy of [Saturday’s Washington Post sports section](https://dedq39jz5ilmb.cloudfront.net/20260712/B01_M2_EZ_DAILY_20260712.pdf) in his hand. Check out the link for the picture. Can we stop with the conspiracy theories now? Next it will be claims that Mitch is a secret reptile man. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/313 "2026-07-12T23:12:29Z")
I have been trying to find an original copy of the image that has that much clarity. Is it possible that image was put through AI to “sharpen it up” and that’s why it looks so strange? Every version of the original I can find is very pixelated at the scale represented by that “obvious AI rendering” version. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/314 "2026-07-12T23:13:36Z")
So all the CTs were wrong, but they could have saved us all a lot of time if they had just been upfront about it. Old men fall and knock themselves out all the time. Why not be open? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/315 "2026-07-12T23:14:33Z")
I confess that “AI” was my first thought, and when I looked at the headline on the newspaper he was holding, I was like, “What the everloving fuck?” But compared to the actual front page, the general letter shape looks right. Pixelation seems the likeliest culprit to me. > **[B01\_M2\_EZ\_DAILY\_20260712.pdf](https://dedq39jz5ilmb.cloudfront.net/20260712/B01_M2_EZ_DAILY_20260712.pdf)** Edit: amusingly, the top thread on the “Is this AI” subreddit right now is about this picture: https://embed.reddit.com/r/isthisAI/comments/1uusmcm/is_this_staged_picture_of_mitch_mcconnell_in_the/?embed=true&ref_source=embed&ref=share ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/316 "2026-07-12T23:24:32Z")
I can’t believe that conspiracy theories are still circulating, even here! My conjecture about “why the secrecy” is just that the man is old, had a serious fall, and then developed pneumonia, so he was at risk the whole time he was in the hospital and the outcome was uncertain. They don’t keep people in the hospital for no good reason. I assume he was just recently moved to rehab once fully stabilized, and the news release coincided with that. I don’t trust either Mitch or his fellow Republican criminals as far as I could throw them, but I don’t see anything underhanded going on here. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/317 "2026-07-12T23:28:16Z")
It took nearly a month to prepare him for a photo that didn’t make him look like he had one foot in the grave. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/318 "2026-07-12T23:31:22Z")
Yeah, the image was apparently just downgraded to web resolution or overcompressed when saving or shot at potato quality to begin with. Which I see a lot more than expected from people’s media teams TBH. But really come on you malfunctioning putzes, what took a damn month to provide a proper reassurance to your constituents? Jeez, we KNOW he’s old and frail. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/319 "2026-07-13T00:20:08Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Secrecy for secrecy’s sake? Secrecy as the default stance? Secrecy as a distraction? > [@bordelond](#): > > but are the people posting that expecting that the claim will simply be taken on faith? They did, why wouldn’t they expect other people to. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > But compared to the actual front page, the general letter shape looks right Doesn’t look right to me at all. The text under the headline is clearly different. The paragraphs aren’t even the same length. Just as an example, look at the number of lines in the second paragraph, 3 in the original, 6 in the AI version. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/320 "2026-07-13T00:25:56Z")
Why is he wearing street clothes(look at his pants) in the hospital? ETA: If this is supposed to be proof of life, why isn’t he displaying the newspaper more prominently? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2026, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/321 "2026-07-13T00:30:44Z")
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