US Senator Mitch McConnell.Image: keystone
How is Mitch McConnell? Many people in the USA are currently asking themselves this question. The US senator is said to have been in the hospital for weeks. No further details are known.
Jul 8, 2026, 3:04 amJul 8, 2026, 3:04 am
A four-week hospital stay for the 84-year-old Republican fueled speculation in Washington that the congressional veteran was terminally ill. A spokesman said in response to a request on Tuesday that McConnell was “grateful for the outpouring of support he has received as he continues his recovery in the hospital.”
Political activist Laura Loomer, who is close to President Donald Trump, fueled the rumor mill. She wrote on the online service X on Monday that she had learned from the White House that McConnell was “brain dead.” “He’s not coming back,” the unnamed source quoted her as saying.
The publicist and former McConnell advisor Scott Jennings, however, wrote after Loomer’s post on X that he had spoken to the senator for almost 20 minutes and discussed current political issues. “I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible,” Jennings added.
Trump is pushing for a law to be passed
McConnell was hospitalized on June 14. His office simply stated that the senator was receiving “excellent care.” Media reported that rescue workers were called to McConnell’s address because of an unconscious person and resuscitation measures were initiated. The information has not been confirmed.
“Many of us are not commenting on Mitch McConnell’s health because we know nothing about his condition,” wrote Republican Senator Mike Lee on X. The Senate is currently in recess, but is scheduled to meet again on Monday. The Republicans only have a slim majority of 53 to 47 seats in the Congressional Chamber. Among other things, Trump is pushing for the passage of a controversial election law.
For decades, McConnell was one of the most influential Republicans in Congress. The politician from the state of Kentucky has been a member of the Senate since 1985. Since 2007 he was initially the minority leader of his party, between 2015 and 2021 he achieved his career goal and became majority leader of the Senate.
Trump on McConnell: “Bad guy”
After taking office again around 18 months ago, Trump made Senator John Thune the new majority leader. McConnell announced that he plans to retire at the beginning of 2027.
During Trump’s first term in office, McConnell made a pact with the president and worked with him to implement a conservative agenda. After Trump’s election defeat in 2020, the senator distanced himself from his claims of fraud and blamed the right-wing populist for the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
After Trump was sworn in again around a year and a half ago, McConnell increasingly appeared as an internal party adversary. He refused to vote for the controversial Defense Minister Pete Hegseth and other cabinet members. Trump called him a “bad guy” who was “miserable at his job” as the top Republican in the Senate.