Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Newsmax it was frightening to see Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., freeze again Wednesday while talking to reporters in Covington, Kentucky.
It was the second such incident in two months for McConnell, 81, who froze up while talking to reporters in July at the Capitol. McConnell, who has been in the Senate since 1985, has looked increasingly frail since suffering a fall in March that led to a concussion and fractured rib, an incident that forced him to take a nearly six-week hiatus from the Senate.
Cruz, who is on a statewide tour of Texas' agricultural community, told "Eric Bolling The Balance" he saw the incident on video but doesn't have anything more to add to what he read in news reports. The Senate is in recess until Sept. 6.
"I saw the video of Mitch today and it's troubling. It's frightening," Cruz, 52, said. "I also saw what happened earlier in D.C. and, listen, age is something that all of us experience, and it's coming for all of us.
"But I'm certainly praying for Mitch. ... Mitch and I have disagreed on a lot of issues, but he is tough and ornery, and I'm rooting for him to power through this, but it was a frightening video today."
Many have called on McConnell to resign from the Senate, as well as Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., 90, who has had several health-related issues this year but has vowed to finish her term and not seek reelection in 2024. McConnell is not up for reelection until 2026.
"I've joked if you ever want to feel really young, come to the U.S. Senate," Cruz said. "Your colleagues are 106, and you'll feel like a spry chicken by comparison. But that's the path we are all on, and I've seen both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate at a stage where they have very significant cognitive decline."
McConnell's health concerns also raise questions about the health of President Joe Biden, 80, who, some say, appears to be showing signs of a cognitive decline.
"It's one thing if you're a senator; you're one of 100, where the country can continue to do its business. It's another thing if you're the president of United States," Cruz said. "I have to say Joe Biden's deterioration is really dangerous. Every senator knows Joe Biden.
"Joe swore me in in 2012, when I was first elected to the Senate. He was vice president. The Joe Biden of today bears no resemblance to the man of 12 years ago that swore me in the very first time to be a senator.
"I really do fear what the enemies of America think, what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin thinks, what Xi [Jinping, Chinese president], thinks, what the Ayatollah [Ali Khamenei of Iran] thinks when they look at a president whose mental deterioration — he's clearly not up to the job anymore."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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