GOP Senator, 73, Freezes During Fox Business Interview
GOP Senator, 73, Freezes During Fox Business Interview

GOP Senator, 73, Freezes During Fox Business Interview

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GOP Senator, 73, Freezes During Fox Business Interview

U.S. Senator John Kennedy appeared to freeze during an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday. Kennedy started to make a point about how Jesus loves immigrants before trailing off into a seven-second silence. He remained on screen for five more seconds in silence before Kudlow cut in and chalked up the awkward gap to a technical issue. In 2023, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered two similar “freezing episodes” just weeks apart from each other. Kennedy is known in the Senate for his distinctive Southern drawl and acerbic commentary during hearings. He passed on running for governor of Louisiana in 2023.

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Another GOP member of Congress has had what appears to be a health scare, with septuagenarian Senator John Kennedy freezing during a Fox Business interview on Tuesday.

During an interview with host Larry Kudlow, 77, about the Trump administration’s crackdown on sanctuary cities, Kennedy started to make a point about how Jesus loves immigrants before trailing off into a seven-second silence.

“Jesus loves them, but everybody else thinks,” Kennedy said before murmuring a couple more words and then freezing on camera.

U.S. Senator John Kennedy appeared to freeze during an interview with Fox Business MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

Kennedy appeared to be unable to form words, and he remained on screen for five more seconds in silence before Kudlow cut in and chalked up the awkward gap to a technical issue.

“I guess we had some more technical problems. That was the same mic we lost with Senator Rand Paul,” Kudlow said. Kennedy had not spoken any words after freezing up.

A spokesperson for Kennedy did not respond to an immediate request for comment. Kennedy’s official account on X posted twice after the interview aired, once to criticize Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil and once to congratulate a New Orleans Saints football player on his retirement.

Mahmoud Khalil can’t even bring himself to condemn Hamas.

So why are so many Democrats in Washington falling over themselves to support him? pic.twitter.com/zNdzbaiKPw — John Kennedy (@SenJohnKennedy) July 22, 2025

The sight of a gray-haired senator freezing during an interview is a familiar one for the GOP caucus.

In 2023, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered two similar “freezing episodes” just weeks apart from each other.

While observing neurologists initially suspected that McConnell may have suffered a transient ischemic attack — a type of stroke — the Capitol physician wrote in a statement that the Kentuckian’s episodes showed “no evidence” of a stroke or seizure disorder.

Ironically, Kennedy was one of the Senate Republicans who immediately dismissed suggestions that McConnell step down as majority leader, saying that would take place only “when donkeys fly.”

McConnell announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election in 2026.

Kennedy, who is known in the Senate for his distinctive Southern drawl and acerbic commentary during hearings, has not commented on whether he will pursue re-election in 2028. He passed on running for governor of Louisiana in 2023.

Health problems have emerged as a major point of tension for both parties over the past year, from scrutiny of Joe Biden’s cognition during his presidency to President Trump’s recent diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency.

Source: Thedailybeast.com | View original article

Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-senator-john-kennedy-73-freezes-during-fox-news-interview/

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