Laura Loomer has once again stirred controversy with a misleading post about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. She shared a photo of McConnell in a wheelchair, claiming he was being “pushed around the US Senate,” and criticized the Senate for becoming “a senior living facility with full amenities.” The issue? The photo wasn’t taken in the Senate at all—it was snapped at an airport a month ago, before McConnell’s recent fall. Nonetheless, Loomer used it as part of her ongoing narrative against GOP elites who don’t fully embrace the MAGA agenda.
The photo was part of Loomer’s attempt to cast McConnell as a symbol of the GOP’s supposed decline, despite his long history of supporting Trump. McConnell recently made statements that hinted at dissatisfaction with Trumpism, which, in Loomer’s eyes, marked him as disloyal to the movement. She leveraged the wheelchair photo to paint McConnell as a doddering figure, pushing the idea that the GOP needs younger, more MAGA-aligned leadership.
This post came after McConnell, 82, had a minor fall earlier in the week, spraining his wrist and suffering a cut on his face, but he walked to his office on his own and kept working. Despite Loomer’s false narrative, McConnell’s office confirmed that he’s “fine,” though his recent health incidents—like the freeze-ups he’s experienced at press conferences—have raised questions about his well-being.
While Loomer’s post was wildly inaccurate, her goal was never about truth—it was about stirring the pot and appealing to her base. Despite McConnell’s long history of enabling Trump, Loomer now views him as insufficiently loyal due to his nuanced stance on MAGA, especially after he compared the “America First” slogan to 1930s isolationists. For Loomer, the photo of McConnell in a wheelchair is the perfect symbol to rally her followers around her call for new leadership.
In the end, McConnell is likely too occupied with his health to address Loomer’s antics, and Loomer’s false narrative continues as a means to stoke division and advance her own political agenda.