Mitch McConnell, 81, froze during a press conference this week and had to be escorted away from the podium

81岁美国联邦参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔在本周的一次新闻发布会上突然停顿,不得不被人引开离开讲台。

US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell remains “intellectually sharp,” a fellow Republican senator told NBC News on Friday following an incident on live TV, which sparked concerns over McConnell’s health.
Speaking to the outlet on condition of anonymity, the senator, a self-described “McConnell ally,” noted “murmurings” within the party about the GOP leader in the Senate, saying they “kind of do” think he should leave office given his advanced age.

一位共和党参议员在周五接受NBC新闻采访时告诉记者,美国参议院少数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔仍然保持着“智力敏锐”。此前一次现场电视事件引发了人们对麦康奈尔健康状况的担忧。这位参议员自称是“麦康奈尔的盟友”,在匿名情况下向媒体透露,党内有关共和党参议院领袖的“传言”,他们“有点儿”认为麦康奈尔应该因为年事已高而离职。

“I’d hate to see it forced on him. You can do these things with dignity, or it becomes less dignified. And I hope he does it in a dignified way – for his own legacy and reputation,” the unnamed lawmaker said.
While the senator noted that McConnell is still “intellectually sharp” and “bright on a whole host of issues, including baseball,” they added that he does not speak or answer questions from fellow lawmakers as often as he used to.

这位不愿透露姓名的议员说:“我不希望看到他被强迫离职。你可以用庄重的方式处理这些事情,否则就会失去尊严。我希望他能以一种有尊严的方式行事——为了他自己的遗产和声誉。”这位议员指出,麦康奈尔仍然“智力敏锐”,并在很多问题上都表现出色,包括棒球。然而,他补充说,麦康奈尔与其他议员的交流和回答问题的频率不如以前那样频繁。

“People think that he’s not hearing well,” the senator said. “I think that he is just not processing.”
Another GOP senator reportedly close to McConnell said he is “definitely slower with his gait,” but went on to state that the lawmaker rarely discusses his own health.

“人们认为他听力不好,”这位参议员说,“我认为他只是没有处理好。”
据报道,另一位与麦康奈尔关系密切的共和党参议员表示,麦康奈尔“步态肯定较慢”,但他接着表示,这位议员很少讨论自己的健康问题。

McConnell suddenly froze mid-sentence when speaking at a weekly Republican leadership news conference Wednesday afternoon on Capitol Hill. The politician looked confused as he stood silent for a few moments before staffers escorted him away from the cameras. Though he later returned to the conference on his own and said he was “fine,” the episode led observers to question whether the high-ranking Republican had suffered a partial seizure or a stroke.

周三下午,麦康奈尔在国会山举行的每周共和党领导层新闻发布会上发言时,突然在中途僵住了。在工作人员护送他离开摄像机之前,这位政客沉默了一会儿,看起来很困惑。尽管他后来独自回到会议现场,并表示自己“很好”,但这一事件让观察家们质疑这位共和党高层是部分癫痫发作还是中风。

The 81-year-old has sustained three falls this year alone, the worst of which resulted in a concussion and a fractured rib, leaving him unable to perform his duties for six weeks. On multiple occasions since the head injury, McConnell has appeared to have trouble responding to questions from reporters.

这位81岁的老人仅今年就摔了三次,其中最严重的一次导致脑震荡和肋骨骨折,导致他在六周内无法履行职责。在头部受伤后的多个场合,麦康奈尔似乎很难回答记者的问题。

“He suffered a really bad fall, and that’s actually had an impact on him. Obviously, that fall affected him,” Republican Senator Ron Johnson told NBC, adding: “Age affects us all. You can’t deny that reality.”
Similar worries have also been raised across the aisle for senior Democrats, including the 80-year-old President Joe Biden, the oldest US leader to hold the office. Since taking power in 2021, Biden’s age has come under the media spotlight several times, including after multiple falls, as well as frequent verbal gaffes.

“他摔得很重,这对他产生了影响。显然,那次跌倒影响了他,”共和党参议员罗恩·约翰逊告诉美国全国广播公司,并补充说:“年龄影响着我们所有人。你不能否认这个现实。”
民主党高层也有类似的担忧,包括80岁的乔·拜登总统,他是美国最年长的总统。自2021年上台以来,拜登的年龄多次受到媒体关注,包括多次跌倒,以及频繁的言语失言。

As the oldest-serving senator at the age of 90, Democrat Dianne Feinstein has also suffered declining health. After returning to office following a two-month break due to a shingles diagnosis, she has appeared disoriented on more than one occasion. During a committee meeting on Thursday, Feinstein became confused and began reading a statement instead of casting her vote, and had to be guided by aides. A staffer later told CBS News that she was “preoccupied” and “didn’t realize debate had just ended and a vote was called.”

作为90岁高龄的在职参议员,民主党人黛安·范斯坦的健康状况也在不断恶化。在因带状疱疹诊断而休假两个月后重返办公室,她不止一次表现出迷失方向的样子。在周四的委员会会议上,范斯坦感到困惑,开始宣读一份声明,而不是投票,不得不在助手的指导下。一名工作人员后来告诉哥伦比亚广播公司新闻,她“全神贯注”,“没有意识到辩论刚刚结束,投票已经开始”。