Sen. Mitch McConnell has reappeared, posting a photograph and a statement about the circumstances that led to his hospitalization last month.
In the statement, McConnell, 84, said he suffered a fall that left him unconscious. He also had a mild case of pneumonia.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” he said in the statement.
“I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages. But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia.”
The accompanying photo showed him in a hospital bed, with his wife, former Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, next to him.
McConnell said he would not be able to “return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet.”
“But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you. I’ve been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, and with my Kentucky team who help me provide timely constituent services across our Commonwealth. I’ve also been keeping in touch with my Senate colleagues on the appropriations process, midterm politics, and everything in between.”
Speculation about McConnell’s condition—and whether he was even alive—was rife for weeks after his hospitalization on 14 June. His office provided little information about his condition or the reason for his admittance.
Multiple Republican senators said they had spoken to McConnell on the phone.
In recent years, McConnell has suffered a number of worrying health scares.
In 2023, he visibly froze twice while speaking to reporters, and has suffered multiple falls, being confined to a wheelchair for his own safety.
In February, he was hospitalized with “flu-like symptoms.”
McConnell served as Senate Republican leader from 2007 to 2025, but announced shortly after President Trump’s return to the White House that he would not seek reelection.
4 Responses
It’s true! He did NOT lie! Heart attacks will make you fall.
RETIRE ALREADY!!!! jesus h
There are no words. Elder abuse has become a common practice in Congress and even the Presidency as we have seen over the last decade. They can be easily manipulated, controlled and dominated to blindly execute orders out of fear and weakness due to their age and fragility. At a certain age they even stop being motivated by their personal greed and lust for power and it becomes purely about survival.
This guy has not been alright for years. Just retire, enjoy what life you still have left and allow a more competent individual take over the job.
“Guy, man this has no quit him in. Continues tough to decisions make.” -Mitch McConnell