The Mitch McConnell Freeze meme originated from a July 2023 press conference where the U.S. Senate Minority Leader abruptly stopped speaking and stared blankly into space for nearly 20 seconds. The video immediately went viral, with internet users comparing the incident to a computer glitch, a lost internet connection, or a system update occurring mid-sentence. It has since become a go-to template for expressing moments of intense confusion, total brain fog, or situations where someone's internal server has crashed. The meme captures a unique mix of political commentary and relatable human error, often paired with loading icons, error messages, or dial-up internet sounds.