Fox News commentator Joe Concha is urging Sen. Mitch McConnell to either resume his work on Capitol Hill or give up his Senate seat, arguing that the longtime Republican leader’s extended absence due to illness has gone on long enough.
McConnell, 84, went back to his home in early August following a hospitalization after a serious fall.
The former Senate Majority Leader has largely remained out of public view for more than 80 days, with the exception of an image that some observers described as a “proof of life” photo.
Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, has said the expectation is that McConnell will be back in the Senate when lawmakers return on September 14.
Concha, who regularly appears on Fox News as a conservative political analyst, made clear during The Big Weekend Show that he believes McConnell has reached a decision point.
“I’ll say it. If McConnell does not come back in September, he needs to step down! Enough of this already,” Concha said.
He also suggested that the limited photos and health updates released by McConnell’s team have not been enough to reassure the public.
“How many months has it been since we heard from him directly? I don’t want to see proof of life photos from a hospital bed anymore! He needs to get in front of a microphone and prove he can do this job.”
Fox News pundit Joe Concha demanded that Mitch McConnell either return to his duties in the Senate or quit after months away from work with an illness
McConnell, 84, returned home in early August after he’d been hospitalized from suffering a bad fall. The former Senate Majority Leader has not been seen in public , aside from what was referred to by some as a ‘proof of life’ photo, in over 80 days
Our News Outlet has reached out to Senator McConnell for comment.
Comer, a top Kentucky Republican in the House, told Our News Outlet Thursday that he has not personally talked to McConnell, but that he ‘expects’ and ‘sure hopes’ that the senator will return to Washington later this month on September 14th with the rest of his colleagues.
‘I have not talked to Leader McConnell. I’ve talked to staff, many of whom are from my district originally, and they have all said it’s their goal for Senator McConnell to be here when they, when the Senate comes in next week,’ Comer told Our News Outlet at a press conference on Capitol Hill.
Attempts by Our News Outlet to reach McConnell’s office about his health, as well as other members of the Kentucky Delegation, were unsuccessful.
McConnell was hospitalized on June 14th and has not been publicly seen since then. Back in July, he spoke with some of his congressional colleagues by phone and indicated that he was on the mend and looking forward to returning to work soon.
At the end of July, McConnell released another photo of himself and his wife, reportedly at home, amid widespread speculation about his health. ‘Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June,’ a comment from his doctor attached to the photograph said.
‘Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation.’
McConnell, who is not seeking re-election in this year’s midterms, has been dogged by health scares throughout his final term.
Kentucky Republican James Comer has claimed that the expectation is for McConnell to return to the Senate when it reconvenes on September 14
McConnell sits with his wife, former United States Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, in a photograph released by his office in Washington
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His office said in a statement to reporters in July: ‘The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.’
That was before the August recess. The House returned to Washington this week. Senators are not due back until September 14.
A fall in February left him reliant on a wheelchair and an aide to navigate the Capitol’s corridors. It followed a tumble in December 2024 that sprained his wrist and cut his face.
Before the falls came the freezes. In July 2023 he stopped mid-sentence at a press conference and stared silently ahead. Weeks later, asked in Kentucky whether he would seek re-election, the then-81-year-old stood motionless for some 30 seconds while aides moved in.
McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, arrived in the chamber in 1985. He spent his final years there locked in a bitter feud with Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, which has never forgiven him.
He gave up the leadership in 2024 after 18 years, handing the job to John Thune.
His retirement threw open his Kentucky seat. Congressman Andy Barr won May’s primary and will carry the Republican banner in November.
