Mitch McConnell: Do the job, or step aside

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.At 11:30 p.m. on June 27, 2024, President Joe Biden exited the stage. It was the low point of a 50-year-plus career that seemingly and mysteriously always seemed to have an upward trajectory. Biden admitted he had “screwed up” the debate, but this performance wasn’t a one-off in terms of cognitive ability, or lack thereof.As far back as 2019, it was clear Biden had no business seeking the highest office in the land. He was increasingly saying odd things while his staff went through great lengths to shield him from a situation they couldn’t control, especially when speaking extemporaneously. “It’s not that [some parents] don’t want to help. They don’t know what quite to do,” Biden said during one primary debate at the time. “Play the radio, make sure the television [awkward pause] … make sure you have the record player on at night.”Record players haven’t been a common household item since the 1970s. Biden clearly wasn’t remotely the person he was even a few years ago when he served as Barack Obama’s vice president. His walk was shuffled. His memory wasn’t good. And it was painfully apparent to his Democratic opponents.“Are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago?” asked Texas Democrat Julian Castro at one point. “I mean, I can’t believe that you said two minutes ago that they had to buy in [regarding Medicare] and now you’re saying they don’t have to buy in. You’re forgetting that.”Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) also piled on in the post-debate Spin Room.“There’s a lot of people concerned about Joe Biden’s ability to carry the ball across the end line without fumbling,” Booker told CNN shortly after the debate. “And I think Castro has some really legitimate concerns about, ‘Can he be someone in a long, grueling campaign that can get the ball over the line?’ and he has every right to call that out.”Biden, thanks to COVID-19 upending the election entirely and allowing him to run a tightly-controlled campaign largely from his basement, squeaked by in enough swing states to win the presidency. His administration, arguably the worst in modern U.S. history, continued to reveal that Biden had no business being a golf starter at the local course, let alone leader of the free world.Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, arrives for a hearing on President Donald Trump’s funding requests for the Army, at the Capitol in Washington, May 19, 2026. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo, File) Fast forward to 2026: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is hospitalized in June for injuries from a fall at his Washington home. This comes after McConnell displayed disturbing stroke-like symptoms during a press conference in July 2023. The 84-year-old also had a fall while walking off a flight at Reagan National in July 2023.This is a lawmaker, regardless of his status as a former Senate majority leader, who is no different than Biden was and is. He should have retired years ago. He should be thinking about his well-being. His health.McConnell, or perhaps at least his team, decided that Sept. 14 would be the time to return to the Senate. But simply clocking in and voting isn’t enough. McConnell must hold an open press conference, take questions from all sides on all topics, and prove he has the cognitive and physical abilities to do the job. And if he continues to hide behind his staff, he needs to resign. Full stop.As for Republicans losing a crucial seat in the House, that’s not going to happen. Under a resignation scenario, a special election would be held in Kentucky, and the governor, Democrat Andy Beshear, would not be able to name an interim replacement from his side of the aisle. And given the fact that the Bluegrass State has not elected a Democrat to the Senate in 34 years (Wendell Ford in 1992), a special election would almost assuredly result in a GOP replacement for McConnell.And by the way, losing McConnell would be a huge net-positive for President Donald Trump. McConnell, for example, opposes the SAVE America Act, along with the petulant Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Susan Collins (R-ME).“Mitch McConnell. He’s very disloyal to [Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD)],” Trump said recently. “John Thune was a very good person for him. I mean, he’s a very loyal person, and Mitch McConnell’s against him almost all the time because he’s angry, I guess. Probably at me.”That’s correct. Because there’s no good argument to oppose the bill. How could conservatives, or any sane human being regardless of political affiliation, possibly be against a requirement to show proper identification and proof of citizenship when voting?According to Gallup, 84% of American adults surveyed support photo ID requirements, including 98% of Republicans, 84% of independents, and 67% of Democrats. And in the same poll, 83% back proof of citizenship for first-time voter registration. McConnell has no good reason not to support the bill, and it’s virtually assured that whoever succeeds him will take the side that 98% of Republican voters support.McConnell truly is the second coming of the late Sen. John McCain, who understandably held a personal animus against Trump over the president’s criticism of his capture while serving in Vietnam. The Arizona Republican would go on to famously give a thumbs-down to Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, casting the deciding no vote on the Senate floor when McConnell, majority leader at the time, thought he had the votes to succeed.In Trump’s second term, McConnell nearly derailed the confirmation of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, forcing Vice President JD Vance to cast a tiebreaking vote. He also opposed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary. He opposed Trump on tariffs, even going so far as to write an op-ed for Axios attacking the plan publicly instead of discussing it privately with the president.There’s also the secrecy around McConnell’s obvious health issues that has been unacceptable. Take what happened on July 14, 2023, when he had a fall on a plane departing Dulles International Airport. But the fall was not revealed publicly until later that month, on July 26. Why? Not long after that fall, he also froze during a press conference for more than 20 seconds with cameras rolling, his lips trembling but possessing no ability to speak. And he once sustained a concussion and cracked a rib in another fall in Washington, also in 2023, forcing him out of the Senate for six weeks.DAVID HARSANYI: ECONOMIC POPULISM IS A DEAD END FOR THE GOPSept. 14 is this Monday. It might as well be called Mitch McConnell’s D-Day. No press conference as of this writing has been scheduled. If the 84-year-old just returns to work quietly, that simply isn’t good enough.Take questions for as long as it takes, senator. Reassure the country that you can still do your job. And if you can’t, do the right thing and step down.