A video shared on X allegedly shows Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell losing focus during a speech in which he is seen wearing a large white bandage on his forehead.
Verdict: False
This video has been digitally altered.
Fact Check:
McConnell recently fell and suffered a sprained wrist and a cut, which may have been caused in part by his childhood polio, according to AP News. His office said on Thursday that he will be working from home due to the fall, the outlet reported.
An X video allegedly shows McConnell giving a speech after this fall, wearing a white bandage on his head. He goes silent as a reporter asks, “Is your head okay after that fall?” He stays silent for several seconds afterward.
“Welp….Mitch has checked out completely,” the caption reads.
This video has been digitally altered, however. The original video was uploaded to YouTube in July 2023. It does not show him with the bandage and it reveals that the reporter’s question was edited in as well.
Faintly, in the bottom right corner is a watermark that reads “ildonaldo.com,” which redirects to a Patreon page with the title “il Donaldo Trumpo.” This name matches that of a parody account on X. This account posted the video to X on Dec. 10 with the caption “WHO DID THIS???”and it went on to garner 16,000 likes.
This claim was also debunked by PolitiFact and Snopes. (RELATED: Did Nobody Call For Mitch McConnell To Step Down?)
Check Your Fact reached out to a McConnell spokesperson for comment.