Viral

Concerning moment a confused Mitch McConnell has to be 'instructed' which way to vote

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Footage of Mitch McConnell appearing to struggle to cast his vote and having to be “instructed” which way to go has sparked huge concern.

Following months of absence from the public eye following a fall, 84-year-old Kentucky senator McConnell who represents the Republican party returned to work on Monday (14 September).

On Wednesday, he was once again was wheeled into the Senate in Washington, DC, to attend the Senate Agriculture committee meeting, during which a vote was taken on advancing the Agricultural Act of 2026.

But, McConnell seemed to have some difficulty voting, appearing at first to vote “no” with Democrats, before being “instructed” by other Republican senators and apparent handlers to vote “aye” with his party.

“Republicans have to instruct Mitch McConnell to vote ‘yes’ on a bill after he nearly votes ‘no’ with Democrats,” one account wrote alongside a clip showing the incident.

Many have been left troubled by what they saw.

Someone pointed out: “This behavior is considered Fraud//Elder abuse if you try to do it at your bank btw.”

Another questioned: “Why tf they telling him how to vote?? If he ain’t competent to make his own decisions then WHY IS HE THERE VOTING IN THE FIRST PLACE?”

“We are an embarrassment to the world right now,” another person suggested.

One person argued: “This is why they’ve kept his corpse alive for the past three months. To wheel it out and use it to cast a handful of votes for Republicans. It’s grotesque, undignified, and abusive.”

“This is the same as forcing a senior to sign will papers without a f**king clue of what he/she is signing.

“Again.... How the F**K is this ethical?” someone asked.

Another commented: “This feels like elder abuse. As a country, we deserve better than our government operating like a Weekend at Bernie’s reboot.”

One person wrote: “Good grief. Term/age/competency limits are a must.”

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