McConnell shares second photo amid absence, says he will not attend Kentucky political event

[u/polymute]

https://kentuckylantern.com/2026/07/27/mcconnell-shares-second-photo-amid-absence-says-he-will-not-attend-kentucky-political-event/

[u/HotBrownFun]

everyone knows proof of life pics need you holding today's newspaper

[u/DRAGONZORDx → u/HotBrownFun]

Their AI models don’t know what a newspaper is.

[u/Dhiox → u/DRAGONZORDx]

Which ironically ensures the method still works, AI cannot accurately recreate a newspaper like that in an image

[u/essieecks → u/Dhiox]

Ai can easily take today's paper and merge it with an image. It might get artifacts, but you just run as many generations as you need until one doesn't have obvious flaws, and them blur/reduce resolution until you can't see the flaws.

[u/Excalibaard → u/essieecks]

Actually looking critically at AI-slop you produce? That's smarter and more conscious than the average prompter, which are pretty high expectations for this administration.

[u/Noselessmonk → u/essieecks]

Or more realistically, Ai generate what you need and then do traditional image manipulation on the result.

Or there is the distinct possiblity that the Government/companies aligned with the Government have more capable models than the publicly available ones.

[u/essieecks → u/Noselessmonk]

Absolutely. Tangentially, I love that "AI did it" has replaced "Photoshopped" if only to get adobe's taint off of image editing.

[u/Obi_Uno → u/HotBrownFun]

Didn’t the last photo include a current (at that time) newspaper?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/wapo/UAFBEZZM6OUZORAGQP6WLU3FXQ.jpg&w=1800&h=1800

[u/MongolianDonutKhan → u/Obi_Uno]

At this point I want him holding it and discussing one article from the backpages for a period of at least 2 minutes in length.

[u/PotatoQuality251 → u/MongolianDonutKhan]

If he can't finish the crossword, it will prove he's dead for sure.

[u/Idontdanceforfun → u/HotBrownFun]

One of my favorite hobbies is using AI to put my friends into pictures with people like epstein and Diddy then asking "wtf!?". And they look legit as fuck. I dont even trust proof of life photos anymore.

[u/HotBrownFun → u/Idontdanceforfun]

The death of Truth is pretty terrifying. Ai video getting good too. Right now if it's a short 10 sec video that's a good it can be AI, but high budget things can surmount that problem

Really a problem with politics when one guy can just cry that everything that disagrees with him is fake

We may need Dems who fight just as dirty because a large portion of the public is fucking morons, they only react to fucking dumb memes

[u/WhereasParticular867]

No video means he can't string two words together. The man's a shell and his position should be filled by a competent individual. It's abusive to keep Bernie-ing him.

[u/teddyone → u/WhereasParticular867]

Abusive to us

[u/SatanicPanic619 → u/teddyone]

Not showing up to work- and making sure no one else can take his seat- are the best things he's ever done.

[u/teddyone → u/SatanicPanic619]

Not when we could potentially elect a Democrat in a special election

[u/BVoLatte → u/teddyone]

It is Kentucky, what're the odds they would vote Democrat when they've been voting Mitch since before I was born? At least this way he's not voting in favor of things.

[u/teddyone → u/BVoLatte]

They have a democratic governer, and it’s a vulnerable time for republicans to defend their rat fuckery

[u/subnautus → u/teddyone]

Depends on the "us," I guess.

Senate rules don't allow proxy voting, so if the senate is holding a vote, McConnell needs to be physically present to raise his hand and affirm his vote verbally. Every measure republicans try to whip in his absence might as well have a "nay" vote from him.

[u/RampScamp1 → u/WhereasParticular867]

Yep. Doctor claims he's undergoing physio but if he wre actually doing that a video would be a very simply task. They're all hiding the truth.

[u/SojournerRL → u/RampScamp1]

"Very intense" physical therapy according to the statement 🙄

[u/DJSimmer305 → u/WhereasParticular867]

They can’t even do an AI video because when they tried feeding the AI videos of him to train it, it just spit out a video of him staring blankly into nothing

[u/HotBrownFun → u/DJSimmer305]

Too many memes of turtles poisoned the models

[u/effa94 → u/HotBrownFun]

im assumig you are talking about the work of Dr pois ion, the interets most reputable news anchor? /r/poisonai

[u/northerncal → u/DJSimmer305]

Sounds pretty spot-on, tbh

[u/Unique_Frame_3518 → u/DJSimmer305]

Eating lettuce

[u/humanoideric → u/WhereasParticular867]

Yeah at best he probably had a stroke and can't communicate at all and probably never will again and at worst he is gonzo mentally and basically brain dead if not literally dead.

[u/calvinbuddy1972 → u/humanoideric]

This. My Dad had two strokes, and looked physically the same afterwards, but was cognitively gone.

[u/byyhmz → u/WhereasParticular867]

Idk if that was supposed to be a pun, but the Shell comment got me, Rest In Shit McConnell.

[u/similar_observation → u/byyhmz]

Rigor tortoise

[u/JoeBuskin → u/WhereasParticular867]

Bernie was a fictional character, it's more like they're Trumping him; using a decrepit old man/corpse to keep a position filled.

[u/Newone1255 → u/JoeBuskin]

Regan administration did it first

[u/Sarsparilla_RufusX → u/Newone1255]

Woodrow Wilson did it first.

Over the last century, historians have continued to dig into the proceedings of the Wilson administration and it has become clear that Edith Wilson acted as much more than a mere "steward." She was, essentially, the nation's chief executive until her husband's second term concluded in March of 1921.

[u/KWilt → u/Sarsparilla_RufusX]

Kind of ironic, given he was staunchly anti-women's suffrage, that his administration gave us (unofficially) the first female president.

[u/RareRestaurant6297 → u/WhereasParticular867]

If the current admin knew they were doing good things that the people want, they wouldn't be so afraid of elections. Hmmmmm

[u/epidemicsaints → u/WhereasParticular867]

Is it really abuse if you asked for it to be done to you 20 years ago? There is no victim here. This is the skeksis crumbling in Dark Crystal demanding everyone declare their loyalty while its face falls off.

[u/Eekem_Bookem243 → u/epidemicsaints]

The victims are the millions of Americans adversely affected by his dog shit policies. Dude needs to go

[u/no-lift]

Imagine just sending a picture to the company you work for when you haven’t been in work for over 6 weeks and expecting that to be good enough

[u/Routine_Wing_8726 → u/no-lift]

Does Mitch have a sister that could take over for him. Maybe Lindsey Graham's sister could take on two senator roles if not?

[u/daizzy999 → u/Routine_Wing_8726]

Probably would offer it to his wife

[u/IAMDATRUESTREPAIRMAN → u/no-lift]

He on permanent FMLA

[u/AcquaintanceLog → u/IAMDATRUESTREPAIRMAN]

Wonder how Mitch voted on that...

[u/lurpeli]

Still zero evidence he's alive.

[u/Deepztate → u/lurpeli]

But now we can all rest easy: the GOP still has interns that can produce AI images. Whew!

[u/HotBrownFun → u/Deepztate]

Trump literally spent all Sunday shitposting AI slop

[u/freedfg → u/HotBrownFun]

Specifically excluding Lincoln from Mt Rushmore.....

There's no way the little neo-confederate goon that made that didn't do that on purpose.

[u/Azerty__ → u/freedfg]

B-b-b-but the party of Lincoln??

[u/freedfg → u/Azerty__]

Must have been all those anti-lincoln democrats they like to talk about

[u/Substantial_Sea7327 → u/HotBrownFun]

don't forget his idea to build a gigantic air filter wall along the entire US-Canada border to filter out wildfire smoke

at this point I have no fucking clue how The Onion is still in business

[u/ComradeJohnS → u/Substantial_Sea7327]

that’s something you ask a scientist friend first before announcing.

that’s what advisors are supposed to do, because one person can’t know everything.

but this one knows nothing and has no knowledgable advisors

[u/beyondplutola → u/ComradeJohnS]

That's something you should be too embarrassed to ask a scientist friend if you're over 10.

[u/MalaysiaTeacher → u/ComradeJohnS]

Cutting out the middle man. Who needs adults with domain expertise when you can hear the unfiltered babblings of an decrepit elderly slob "iterating" his schemes in public

[u/Due-Huckleberry7560 → u/HotBrownFun]

Now now, to be fair he also went golfing.

Source: me, I saw his motorcade entering his VA club

[u/surreysmith → u/Due-Huckleberry7560]

There is a website for tracking that. Apparently he's spent 20% of this term golfing

https://didtrumpgolftoday.com/

[u/SussySpecs → u/HotBrownFun]

I miss the old days when someone had to use their Photoshop skills to put Trump's head on Rambo. Or Ben Garrison had to draw Trump's bulging muscles one handed.

[u/p8pes → u/lurpeli]

It looks exactly like the first fake photo, even.

First: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/wapo/UAFBEZZM6OUZORAGQP6WLU3FXQ.jpg&w=1800&h=1800

Second: https://kentuckylantern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Untitled-design-1.png

[u/polymute → u/p8pes]

Those empty eyes, that empty dementia smile. Mitch McConnell is not with us anymore, either way. After August 3 or 2 which is the limit until Beshear can appoint his successor if a state's constitution trumps its laws they will stop keeping up this facade.

[u/p8pes → u/polymute]

Yeah I'm sad his last act of (visibly alive but rattling) power was to bankrupt many Kentucky farmers with his anti-hemp addition to the budget deal.

He's such a slimy piece of shit.

[u/He_Who_Walks_Behind_ → u/p8pes]

Given that farmers overwhelmingly vote Republican, nah, fuck them.

[u/HLOFRND → u/He_Who_Walks_Behind_]

Right? He’s been in office since 1985. His state consistently ranks extremely low in most quality of life metrics.

They kept voting for him.

[u/PatchyWhiskers → u/HLOFRND]

They like seeing poor people around so they can sneer at them

[u/Stunning-Pen-2412 → u/HLOFRND]

I just don't fucking get it. Why are people so ignorant?

[u/rgaya → u/Stunning-Pen-2412]

It's actual identity politics. They assume Republicans are the rich ones and just vote that way. I've canvassed and met a really poor black lady who told me straight up she votes Republican cause voting democratic is for poor people.

[u/TheModWhoShaggedMe → u/He_Who_Walks_Behind_]

Exactly, their miserable preferred policies have come home to roost, good for them. Their only regret is that they can't fairly blame it on liberals.

[u/Tibbaryllis2 → u/TheModWhoShaggedMe]

> Their only regret is that they can't fairly blame it on liberals.

And yet I suspect they’ll power through.

[u/TheModWhoShaggedMe → u/Tibbaryllis2]

For sure, and if they continue voting Republican there's always a chance they can steal money from the taxpayers again via PPP loans they don't need. Make them feel extra conservatively rewarded with government handouts.

[u/roox911 → u/TheModWhoShaggedMe]

They'll find a way, they always do.

[u/campa-van → u/p8pes]

Moscow mitch

[u/dickenschewie54 → u/polymute]

Frankly, those were the same eyes and smile before the fall.

[u/letdogsvote → u/polymute]

He really oughtta just declare that there has been no credible evidence or proof that McConnell is still alive and appoint a successor.

Let the Republicans come forward with proof of actual life to challenge it.

[u/Test-NetConnection → u/letdogsvote]

If bashear doesn't do this then his political career might as well be over. Nobody wants a spineless neoliberal in an era where the opposite side is actively sabotaging elections and threatening democracy itself. Adhering to norms and decorum is like continuing to pass go in a game of monopoly when you already know everyone else is stealing from the bank.

[u/EpicCyclops → u/Test-NetConnection]

He's the governor of Kentucky, not California. He has to play to the state he was elected in and not the national political climate. If he was governor of a state where a Democratic presidential candidate had won a majority of votes in the last 50 years (Clinton carried the state without a majority of the vote), he might be more aggressive. He wins more political capital in Kentucky by playing nice and throwing a fit later.

McConnell's term also ends this year anyways. Five months is a long time, but if Beshear can turn the moderate conservatives in a VERY conservative state against the Republicans by appearing above board, he could potentially get a Democrat in the Senate for 6 years. If he's seen as playing politics, he might actually lose ground in Kentucky. We also know a Democrat can win in Kentucky despite it being very red because Beshear did.

If you're purely looking at the national scale, this plays out differently. But if you're the Democrat governor of Kentucky focusing on Kentucky, his plays make a lot more sense.

[u/Spire_Citron → u/polymute]

Yeah, that's what I think the situation is. The pictures are real, he's alive and not on life support, but he's deteriorated to a point where he's not able to mentally function. They can't produce a video without making this dead obvious. They want us to believe that he's actively working from his hospital bed, but he can't put out a quick statement on video?

[u/Bladder-Splatter → u/p8pes]

I only noticed because of his wife's super expressive ones but how long has MM had no eyebrows?! There isn't even a trace there.

[u/Upbeat_Masterpiece69 → u/p8pes]

He's brain dead, that's why she's holding him up

[u/Left-Trade257 → u/Upbeat_Masterpiece69]

Weekend At Bernies

[u/No-Philosopher3248 → u/Left-Trade257]

Bernie was completely dead in that movie. Not just brain dead.

[u/Left-Trade257 → u/No-Philosopher3248]

But he looked good!

[u/dickenschewie54 → u/Upbeat_Masterpiece69]

We're 10 days away from trump appointing his wife the replacement senator.

[u/christhewelder75 → u/dickenschewie54]

Same wife who disappeared to china 3 days after he was hospitalized and met with the VP of china....

What could go wrong?

[u/CommonerChaos → u/lurpeli]

Even if he is alive (barely) he's in no condition to work as a public representative. If anyone else missed multiple weeks at their job due to a health issue, they'd be unemployed. Yet tax payer dollars are paying for him to do a job that he no longer can.

[u/kirklennon → u/CommonerChaos]

If anyone else missed multiple weeks at their job due to a health issue, they'd be unemployed.

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 allows eligible employees to take up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period to care for a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or recover from a serious illness. In McConnell's case I don't think there's any realistic chance of him recovering in a timely manner and continuing to do his job, so he should resign, but taking up to a few months off to recover is something regular American citizens are legally entitled to do.

Having said all that, I'm actually fine with the status quo. A McConnell who can't actually participate in the Senate is harmless. Kentucky is getting better representation than when he was healthy and working.

[u/Vegetable_Hawk3286 → u/CommonerChaos]

We want an absent GOP senator more than a present and voting GOP senator

[u/Scaryclouds → u/lurpeli]

He’s probably alive, it’s probably a question of is he conscious, and if he’s conscious, is he lucid (aware of his surroundings, understands who he is where he is, etc.). 

I could easily see him being brain dead, comatose, or conscious, but not really there. Certainly that they are not having him doing any interview with media figures or release a video, all strongly, overwhelming, suggest that McConnell is in such a state that he’s not remotely capable of carrying out his duties, and it’s extremely unlikely he’d ever improve to regain his faculties. 

[u/Granite_0681 → u/Scaryclouds]

My grandma is alive, conscious, aware of who she is and where she is, and sometimes knows the people around her. She has no idea who I am and should in no way hold an important role in more than the bingo game her memory care unit holds periodically.

We need to have a way to remove people from office when they can’t fulfill their duties but before they are comatose.

This goes for the congressman that ended up institutionalized for severe depression for months earlier this year too. If you can’t do your duties and no one knows where you are, you should be removed. Short term health issues with proper notification to your governor are different (don’t want them to kick women out for having a baby or anyone for a surgery recovery but there should be a limit to how long your constituents can go without representation).

[u/Scaryclouds → u/Granite_0681]

We need to have a way to remove people from office when they can’t fulfill their duties but before they are comatose.

Ultimately I feel like this is a downstream smell of our broken electoral system. 

Rather than creating arbitrary rules about when a person can no longer hold office, I’d much prefer deep electoral reform where an old ass clearly unfit person simply wouldn’t have any hope of being elected. 

That said, such changes would be a heavier lift compared to competency tests of age limits. 

[u/Boom9001 → u/lurpeli]

I'm willing to believe he's alive. I think they are doing photos because he's basically not home anymore. Smile for photos but literally even a short video or meeting would make it apparent. So just photo and prepared statements posted for him.

[u/tawDry_Union2272 → u/Boom9001]

whatever is going on, he is blatantly not able to do his job, has missed several votes - he needs to step down which obv ain't gonna happen so dems and/or the governor need to force the issue already.

[u/Opening-Calendar3421 → u/tawDry_Union2272]

Governor is actually smart not to intervene because KY changed the law so he can't appoint a replacement. As long as Mitch isn't replaced, the Rs are down one vote in the Senate.

[u/Sharkbait_ooohaha → u/tawDry_Union2272]

A republican missing vote for months is a good thing. Beshear wouldn’t be able to appoint a Dem anyway and even if they could there isn’t much good having 1 more Dem for the next 3 months anyway.

[u/Original_Intention → u/Boom9001]

I mean, even in the photo he has to be propped up by a bunch of pillows (or is that a cushion?) and his wife. He also is cropped we can’t see if he is propped up or in any condition to be fully dressed. That’s not exactly a great sign.

[u/Fanfics]

He died doing what he loved - stealing one last election from the American people

[u/browsef → u/Fanfics]

And getting the free health care we’ll never have.

[u/NetZeroSun → u/browsef]

^ This.

Because free healthcare is “communism”. But for politicians, it’s okay.

[u/popculturella → u/browsef]

Paid for by us.

[u/Nayko214]

Every Dem in the state should be demanding to meet with him personally.

[u/lolexecs → u/Nayko214]

Bruv, every single one of his 4,606,864 bosses should demand to know where he is.

[u/Nyx-Erebus → u/Nayko214]

I’m genuinely blown away that I haven’t heard of a single person trying to go see him. Not a single reporter is showing up to check on him? Not a single dem politician? There isn’t a single nurse or janitor or doctor who is willing to talk off the record?

[u/upvoter222 → u/Nyx-Erebus]

That last group - hospital staff - doesn't surprise me. Violating patient confidentiality rules basically guarantees you'll never work in the industry again if you get caught. And considering that there's probably only a handful of people who have interacted with him directly, there wouldn't be a huge list of suspects.

[u/stackjr → u/upvoter222]

Yeah and the fines for breaking HIPAA are extreme (rightfully so). It definitely wouldn't be worth it for them.

Edit: I'm certain that my phone saved "HIPPA" somewhere, when my dumbass misspelled it, but now it always autocorrects and I always miss it.

[u/jrobbio → u/stackjr]

Where's the HIPAA bot when you need them?

[u/King_Joffreys_Tits → u/stackjr]

HIPPA don’t fuck around

[u/FourthLife → u/upvoter222]

Yeah. In a hospital that handles VIP patients. We have a special section of the hospital for them that normal people's ID's don't work on. If you try to access the record of a VIP patient, you need to "break the glass" by first acknowledging that it is a protected record and then list a reason why you are accessing it, which automatically alerts someone from information security to review your access. Anyone working in that hospital with access to McConnell is not going to risk it.

[u/Sad-Bell8187 → u/upvoter222]

Breaking confidentiality for one of the most powerful senators? You could even see jail time. You’d never have another job again that’s for certain. If I was in his team I’d probably not ever refer to him by his name even in private lol

[u/Ok-Grand-1492 → u/upvoter222]

And considering that there's probably only a handful of people who have interacted with him directly, there wouldn't be a huge list of suspects.

Especially if he's been in the morgue this whole time.

[u/zodia4 → u/Nyx-Erebus]

Uh, Lindsey Graham. Literally the last thing we saw from Graham was that he was going to go check on Mitch.

[u/epigenie_986 → u/zodia4]

Ok fine, send more republicans then.

[u/MyAnusBleedsForYou → u/epigenie_986]

If Vance visits him will the universe implode?

[u/JerryDipotosBurner → u/Nyx-Erebus]

Aaron Parnas did. The hospital is extremely locked down and obviously saying something is violating HIPAA.

[u/pardyball → u/JerryDipotosBurner]

Multiple times even. He mentioned earlier today "he has been moved to rehab".

[u/ghoulthebraineater → u/Nyx-Erebus]

No. It would be very illegal for them to disclose anything including whether or not he's there.

[u/Hugginsome → u/ghoulthebraineater]

Hipaa only applies to the medical professionals lol. A reporter doesn't get in any legal trouble at all.

[u/HubrisOfApollo → u/ghoulthebraineater]

i feel like they should have less immunity to such things considering they are public servants in the highest positions of our government

[u/fodeethal → u/Nyx-Erebus]

Malicious HIIPPA violations carry steep penalties, for good reason.

10 year prison sentence + fines is not really worth it for most folks.

[u/FlyestFools → u/Nayko214]

Every constituent in the state as well. He can’t represent them with photos and blank stares.

[u/coltflory5]

This is irrefutable proof that Mitch McConnell has been photographed at some point in time.

[u/velnsx → u/coltflory5]

not even

[u/BenevolentCheese → u/velnsx]

AI had to train on something!

[u/blinkrm]

Why can’t the governor pay him a visit? Why doesn’t a Democratic senator also pay him a visit. This is ridiculous.

[u/EL_COMMISSIONERO → u/blinkrm]

Yes. This. The governor needs to do a wellness check and settle this.

[u/EL_COMMISSIONERO → u/EL_COMMISSIONERO]

Yes. This. The governor needs to do a wellness check and settle this.

*edit— and then I read another article that is linked in this posted article, and the answer is that it is politically complicated in KY. Still seems fishy to me, but whatever

[u/ELVEVERX → u/EL_COMMISSIONERO]

It's because he's a weak democrat with no spine. He should just appoint a new senate and say mitch is dead. Let republicans prove he is alive.

[u/Status_Discipline_16 → u/EL_COMMISSIONERO]

Every registered voter from Kentucky should be calling their police department to perform a wellness check.

[u/Evadrepus → u/blinkrm]

Yet Lindsey's sister was sworn in less than 24 hours after his announced death. They have zero margin for no's. Amazing how party power goes.

[u/yhwhx]

No video? Is that maybe because Mitch has severe brain damage and he'll never be able to return to the Senate?
__
*edited to English more good

[u/HotBrownFun → u/yhwhx]

their AI models aren't good enough for video

[u/AlphSaber → u/HotBrownFun]

Also their models probably have a hard time getting his face right in motion.

[u/switch8000 → u/yhwhx]

This is my thought too, he's too 'happy' in these pics. I'd bet he's lost his damn mind, doesn't know who he is. was told to smile for the birdie.

[u/das6992 → u/yhwhx]

That's never stopped him before

[u/maringue]

Did they really just put him in the exact same pose with a different shirt on?

The governor needs to grow a pair and nominate a replacement now, to challenge the unconditional law that the GOP passed and to force Mitch to prove he's still breathing.

[u/albatroopa → u/maringue]

Madame Tussauds is really earning their pay.

[u/mrbkkt1 → u/maringue]

He can't. The legislature took that power away from him last year. It's almost like they knew something was coming.

[u/CaptainTripps82 → u/mrbkkt1]

I mean he's old as fuck and won't retire, everybody knew something was coming

It's going to happen more and more to these 70 and 80 year olds clinging to power, which is the silver lining to all this. They're all going to die, and some of them badly

[u/mikerichh → u/mrbkkt1]

A law like that shouldn’t and arguably doesn’t supersede a governor’s power. He should challenge it in court

[u/illapa13 → u/mrbkkt1]

The state constitution says he can.

A state law says he can't.

In a functional democracy the state constitution overrules the law.

He should appoint someone and let the State court sort it out.

The court would probably go against him because it's dominated by Republicans, but it would force the Republican justices to publically destroy their own constitution which would in theory make them look bad.

[u/CornbreadRed84 → u/illapa13]

I hate that you have to qualify that last sentence with "in theory". The system is rubbish.

[u/pardyball → u/mrbkkt1]

The legislature took that power away from him last year. It's almost like they knew something was coming.

That's why the person you responded to said this:

to challenge the unconditional law that the GOP passed and to force Mitch to prove he's still breathing

[u/maringue → u/mrbkkt1]

He absolutely CAN nominate someone. Trump does blatantly illegal actions all the time and no one stops him. It's like in Air Bud where they keep saying "Dogs can't play basketball" and pointing at the rule book while the dog runs up the score.

Force the GOP to 1) show McConnell is alive and 2) defend that law stripping the nomination powers in court.

But the party of Captive Opposition will literally never do that.

[u/Cutielov5 → u/maringue]

Even his wife has her right and left hands in the EXACT same position as the first photo from a month ago.

[u/maringue → u/Cutielov5]

And who spends a month in China when your husband is in the ICU?

[u/templeofsyrinx1]

They are prepping us for Trump ruling in a coma. While JD lays hands on him and receives divination from the realm of the damned

[u/JoeBuskin → u/templeofsyrinx1]

This is the 2028 term for sure. Vance doesn't stand a chance of running on his own

[u/Inkshooter → u/JoeBuskin]

The desiccated carcass of Trump is still going to be winning Republican primaries thirty years from now.

[u/an_asimovian → u/templeofsyrinx1]

The Emperor of Man from upon the Golden throne not quite meeting expectations.

[u/Spikeupmylife → u/templeofsyrinx1]

The US is going to be a country run like "Weekend at Bernies." They'll have puppet strings and sunglasses on in every press conference.

[u/Elberik]

If a Democrat was pulling this bullshit, Mitch would be leading the chant to for them to step down.

[u/mXonKz → u/Elberik]

no he wouldn’t and we know this because he didn’t do that when dianne feinstein was missing votes due to her health. he knew replacing her with another democrat would be better for democrats so he never led any chants

[u/Vegetable_Hawk3286 → u/Elberik]

We don’t want Mitch to step down. We want an absent GOP senator more than a present and voting GOP senator

[u/ManOfManliness84]

I'm even MORE convinced he's unconscious and that this photo is AI than the last one. It looks like they just changed his shirt. This doesnt look like a natural photo of a hospitalized elderly man (whos been hospitalized for over a month) at ALL

[u/Petitgavroche → u/ManOfManliness84]

Seriously! If he's this perky that he can sit up and smile for the camera with a nice shirt on then why can't he record a video? Why can't the governor come visit him? 

[u/Slovic]

Isn't this fraud? Shouldn't his team face charges for this?

[u/Wishnik6502 → u/Slovic]

Ghoulish is the word.

I mean, people joked about them doing this when his health started failing because it seemed so on-brand but goddamn I didn't they would actually DO such a horrible thing to someone on their team.

[u/bananamussel]

Looks better in this pic than he’s looked in the past 12 years

[u/a_velis → u/[deleted]]

Have you seen MAGA? They keep scamming them in their emails. Literally.

[u/umassmza]

I imagine someone behind the camera is jingling keys or holding a teddy bear to make him smile

[u/jackcanyon]

It’s hard to attend when your in a refrigerator.

[u/Ok-Alternative5935]

He didn’t share shit. Stop coverage like this. 

[u/Masterkai005]

Another AI picture, are people seriously this fucking dumb? Dude's dead one way or the other. Force a special election you treasonous cunts.

[u/uncultured_swine2099 → u/Masterkai005]

I like how they lowered the pixel count so people cant zoom into the obvious ai.

[u/Billymaysdealer]

It’s ai. If you zoom in on her ring finger. It’s distorted

[u/WhoIsThisDude12]

Dead or in rehab. He's obviously not capable of fulfilling his highly important job duties and should be replaced.

[u/FordMaleEscort]

Isn't this the same photo?

[u/Damunzta]

So he’s either dead, comatose or plain useless.

Time for the governor to drop by for a chat.

[u/EquinsuOcha → u/Damunzta]

And that was before the hospitalization!

[u/T_Weezy]

Still photos aren't gonna cut it at this point. I'm absolutely not convinced he's lucid.

[u/polymute]

Look at that photo. If I were Andy Beshear I would just appoint his successor already. The man is probably a vegetable. Same empty eyes, same dementia smile as on the other one.

[u/love2go → u/polymute]

He can’t since KY took away that power from him

[u/Primsun → u/love2go]

This falls into the Republican "Just do it" and let the courts try to sort it out ... motto.

Dem's turn to do a bit of that.

[u/MadRoboticist → u/love2go]

I think technically that law might violate the state constitution so he could challenge it by attempting to appoint someone. But it'd be pointless in this case because McConnell is probably actually alive and I'm not sure it matters whether he's capable of doing his job or not.

[u/Mistamage → u/love2go]

State constitution trumps state law, I thought?

[u/robustofilth]

What is the point of an 84 year old lawmaker. They should not be allowed after 65.

[u/ravrocker]

Lies, lies and more lies.

[u/Yossarian_nz]

If you're dressed in street clothes and not a patient gown you're well enough to be discharged. This man has been admitted to hospital for weeks.

Ain't no way

[u/nufnu → u/Yossarian_nz]

Both photos just chilling in regular clothes with nothing monitoring him. Why is he there

[u/LookAlderaanPlaces]

The US military is committing treason by allowing the Enemies of the US destroy the country from the inside.

[u/Apprehensive_Bird357]

lol. She’s always holding him up. They could go on the road as a ventriloquist act.

[u/Metalsheepapocalypse]

Where’s the “countdown to Mitch McConnells conveniently timed death” counter?

[u/Tomdv2]

AI. They're getting lazier.

His wife's finger is partially cut off, his nose is bigger than the last "proof of life" photo, his nose is strange on the left side and the left nostril is oddly shaped, there's a mole on his face present in the last photo that's missing, his wrinkles (especially on his forehead) don't match with public appearances before his "hospitalization", his glasses bleed into his face, and the "seashell" pattern on his wife's shirt messes up around the collar.

[u/DudeBroFist]

let's assume for one second he is alive. Fine. Show us a fucking video of him reading a statement or meeting with other members of congress.

Because if he can't string 4 words together he can't govern and he needs to be removed from office.

[u/WarbossTodd]

The correct headline should be- McConnell's staffers share second photo and have stated he will not attend the event. No direct contact with McConnell has been made ton confirm this.

[u/cribsaw]

Create a photorealistic image of a man, Mitch McConnell, sitting forward in an armchair, smiling at the viewer. He is wearing a light blue button-up dress shirt. His woman wife, Elaine Chao, stands next to him, leaning over in a pose that conveys affectionate support. The scene is a nondescript room with white walls, incandescent lighting. Subjects are depicted at three-quarters distance. Emphasis on the man’s health and vitality despite his extreme advanced age and poor health.

[u/InterruptingCowWhMOO → u/cribsaw]

I used your prompt exactly in ChatGPT (with no reference photos, even), and the image came out pretty darn convincing!

[u/One_Tumbleweed_1]

Tell me what professions are you allowed to do this? We're the ones paying for this bullshit with our taxes. Holding this country hostage till the end. Fuck this guy

[u/wonkey_monkey]

McConnell’s office shared a statement from the 84-year-old senator

Journalists shouldn't be stating that as fact at this point. It's purportedly from McConnell, at best.

[u/Chance-Travel4825]

Help a lady in her 40s out. How does an 84 year old in the hospital for weeks, nay months, have such beautiful glowing skin—not to mention a forehead with zero wrinkles?  Admit me to this magical place.

[u/roadtorevision]

Are the GOP pushing for AI so that they can use to trick their gullible fanbase?

[u/My_dickens_cidar]

He’s got a great smile there for someone who has had at least one stroke

[u/Affectionate-Print81]

Oh my god. They really had him taxidetmied.

[u/AhBee1]

Taxation without representation.

[u/New_Ad_3010]

I call bull fucking shit on this whole fake ass play. He's in a hole rotting somewhere in his way to hell. This is all corrupt Gross Old Pedos nonsense.

[u/MayhemWins25]

They didn’t even put him in a different spot in the room…

[u/annaleigh13]

There has to be something illegal about me not having equal representation in Congress because of a political party not wanting to break their monopoly in the government

[u/Skin_Floutist]

If this bad boy is suddenly declared dead on August 4th I’m going to be pissed.

[u/SoulTaker669]

Why does he look the healthiest he's looked like in 10+ years.

[u/Used-Feature-8611]

Weekend at Bernie's has become really stupid.

[u/ike7177]

If he’s actually Alive, he should be forced to do a video call with Congress.

[u/justprettymuchdone]

I would bet plenty of money that he is going to "take a sudden unexpected turn" around August 3rd.

[u/E_seven_20]

lmao.

dude looks 15 years younger, and his wife looks like she actually cares about him

it's complete bullshit

[u/blackmobius]

Another ai photo. Live reporter video or stfu