TL;DR

  • Scott Jennings said he spoke with Mitch McConnell while the senator was recovering in the hospital.
  • Laura Loomer made a separate claim about McConnell a day earlier.
  • Users on X quickly turned Jennings’ post into a viral meme format.
  • Republican leaders said McConnell will return to work.

CNN Republican political analyst Scott Jennings set off a wave of jokes online after posting that he had spoken by phone with Sen. Mitch McConnell on Tuesday, even as questions continued over the Kentucky Republican’s recovery from a more than three-week hospitalization.

Jennings wrote on X that he had spoken with “my old friend Mitch McConnell,” identifying him as the senior senator from Kentucky. He said McConnell was “still recovering in the hospital” and added that they had talked for just under 20 minutes about Iran, Ukraine, the situation in Maine, Jennings’ visit to the TR Presidential Library, and Senate history. Jennings also said he told McConnell that “we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.”

The post landed one day after far-right influencer Laura Loomer claimed on X that a “high level source” told her McConnell was “brain dead” and “being kept ‘alive’ by life support machines.” Republican Senate leaders have said McConnell will return to work. Senate Minority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and GOP Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming also said they had spoken with him since his hospitalization.

Jennings’ post quickly became a template for parody. Queer political commentator Matt Bernstein responded with a mock version in which he said he had been on the phone with McConnell for six hours and that McConnell was gay and interested in polyamory. Left-wing commentator Hasan Pike followed with another joke post on July 7, writing, “just got off the phone with mitch mcconnell. we had phone sex.”

Other users piled on with jokes suggesting McConnell was already dead, comparing the situation to Weekend at Bernie’s, and joking about speaking with other deceased public figures for 20 minutes. The wave of posts turned Jennings’ original message into one of the day’s most shared political memes.

Republican leadership has maintained that McConnell will return to work. The senator has also drawn criticism over an anti-LGBTQ+ record that spans decades in public life.

https://twitter.com/tonyposnanski/status/2074840661379944883

https://twitter.com/Therealedblake/status/2074658058291061098

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Alexander Rivera
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Alexander Rivera

Alex Rivera, a seasoned political journalist, brings over a decade of experience covering U.S. politics. An alumnus of Columbia University's Journalism School, Alex is known for insightful analyses of political trends a…

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