▶ Watch Video: Mitch McConnell gives update on his health
Sen. Mitch McConnell released a statement on his health on Sunday along with a photo of himself and his wife, Elaine Chao, after questions swirled about his condition. McConnell said he was “briefly unconscious” after he took a fall last month and he had been dealing with a “mild case of pneumonia.”
“You all know how folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older,” the senator said, addressing growing questions about his well-being. “Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can’t help it.”
Sen. McConnell’s Office
The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican has been hospitalized since June 14, his office said. On the same day, emergency medical personnel responded to an unconscious person at McConnell’s home, according to a public EMS dispatch call reviewed by CBS News earlier this month.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages,” McConnell said Sunday. “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.”
His doctors are trying to figure out what caused the incident, McConnell said, adding he’s doing everything they ask to speed up his recovery.
“In fact, with signs of continued progress, I’ve been able to move from hospital care to a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength,” he said.
The Republican said his medical team has not cleared him to return to the Senate floor to vote, but he assured that he has been working with his staff and Senate colleagues. Senate GOP leaders said earlier this week that they spoke with McConnell over the phone.
“You’re right to expect your representatives to work hard for you,” McConnell’s statement said. “And part of my decision to retire at the end of my term this coming January was being honest about the demands of Senate work. But I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf, and I have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.”
The office of McConnell’s attending physician said the senator remained hospitalized to focus on physical therapy and reduce his risk of future falls.
McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, has faced several health scares in recent years. In a May 19 committee hearing, he was seen with a bandage around his hand. In February, McConnell spent more than a week in the hospital after he checked himself in for “flu-like symptoms.”
In 2023, he was hospitalized with a concussion after a fall and later appeared to freeze in two separate instances. He suffered minor injuries in 2024 after another fall.
