Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, 84, is back at home after spending more than 50 days recovering from a serious fall that led to his hospitalization.
In a statement, McConnell said he had been “discharged” from his rehabilitation facility and would now “continue my recovery at home.”
The Kentucky senator expressed gratitude to his wife, Elaine, as well as the “excellent” doctors, nurses and therapists who cared for him during his time in the hospital and rehab.
“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period,” McConnell added.
McConnell’s health scare began on June 14, when he fell at his Washington, DC, residence, was briefly knocked unconscious and was taken to the hospital by paramedics.
Despite the update on his recovery, McConnell has not yet made a public appearance or released any video message since the incident.
In the weeks after the fall, scrutiny also focused on McConnell’s wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, whose absence during the early days of his hospitalization drew notice.
Chao had already traveled to China before the medical emergency, leaving on June 12 for a long-scheduled trip—two days before McConnell was admitted to the hospital.
McConnell poses with Chao, his wife, in his most recent proof-of-life photo, which was released on July 27
McConnell, who had polio as a child, is supported by staffers inside the US Capitol in early June
A fall at his DC residence on June 14 left him briefly unconscious. His office released this picture from July 12
Rather than cutting the visit short, she continued her itinerary, which included meetings with senior Chinese officials, including Vice President Han Zheng.
Her decision not to immediately return to the United States raised eyebrows, although a spokesperson said the trip had been planned well in advance and insisted that ‘the Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return.’
On July 12, after weeks of questions surrounding his health, Mitch McConnell’s office released a rare glimpse of the ailing senator while he was still recovering in a rehabilitation facility following his hospitalization.
The image showed the longtime Kentucky Republican sitting upright in a hospital recovery chair alongside his wife, smiling while holding what appeared to be that day’s Washington Post sports section.
The photo was released alongside a statement from McConnell’s team revealing for the first time that his hospitalization was caused by a fall — not a heart attack — and that doctors were also dealing with mobility issues linked to a childhood case of polio.
As speculation swirled over the senator’s condition and whether the image was AI-generated, several Republican allies said they had spoken with McConnell by phone and used those conversations to reassure the public that he remained engaged in Senate business.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said his office spoke with McConnell on July 6. A spokesperson described the call as ‘A lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.’
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso said he spoke with McConnell on July 7 for around 20 minutes, with the pair discussing Senate business, politics and legislative priorities.
A spokeswoman for Barrasso said, ‘Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.’
The Kentucky Republican also has not recorded a Senate vote since June 11, bringing his tally of consecutively missed roll call votes to a staggering 47
Republican strategist and longtime McConnell ally Scott Jennings said he also spoke with the senator by phone on July 7, and they discussed politics, foreign policy and Senate history. Jennings described McConnell as engaged while continuing his recovery.
But the reassurance that McConnell was stable wasn’t enough for some Republicans.
Several Republicans called for greater transparency about McConnell’s condition, with some arguing that the public deserved a clearer picture of whether the senator was capable of continuing his duties.
One of the strongest calls came from Senator Tommy Tuberville, who suggested McConnell should make a public appearance to demonstrate his recovery.
‘Somebody needs to do something. Somebody needs to come out and put a little video out,’ Tuberville said.
Tuberville also said senators had received limited information about McConnell’s condition.
‘He lives next door to me, but he’s still in the hospital, doing rehab… I don’t know anything,’ Tuberville said last month.
Representative Thomas Massie questioned the public accounts of McConnell’s condition after Republican leaders said they had spoken with him.
Massie mocked the reports of the phone calls, saying he too had spoken to McConnell- echoing Jennings by listing the same range of topics the two were said to have discussed, including foreign policy and his own political future.
Senator Ron Johnson raised broader concerns about transparency surrounding the health of elected officials, arguing that voters deserve more information about the condition of those holding public office.
The Kentucky Republican also has not recorded a Senate vote since June 11, bringing his tally of consecutively missed roll call votes to a staggering 47, according to GovTrack.US, though he has remotely cosponsored some legislation.
