McConnell says a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking weeks of
silence about health condition
[July 13, 2026]
By MARY CLARE JALONICK
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Mitch McConnell on Sunday revealed for the first
time that a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking the silence about
his condition after weeks of mounting speculation about the Kentucky
Republican’s health.
McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he was “briefly unconscious”
around the time he was first taken to the hospital and has undergone a
battery of tests to try and determine what led to his fall. He said he
was also treated for mild pneumonia and has been moved to a
rehabilitation facility.
“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, adding that he is now “regaining
my strength.”
McConnell’s statement came on the heels of the unexpected death of his
fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. McConnell said
he cannot return to the Senate “quite yet.”
Coupled with Graham’s passing, that will temporarily whittle the GOP
majority in that chamber down by two, to 51-47, as Republicans try to
increase military funding, advance President Donald Trump’s agenda and
confirm Trump's nominees.
McConnell explained the four-week silence about his condition by saying
that “folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability
that comes with growing older.”
“Even in the public eye, I feel that same instinct — I can’t help it,”
he said.
McConnell said he will continue to work with his staff on Senate
business. His statement included a smiling picture of the senator with
his wife Elaine Chao, a tacit response to speculation online that
McConnell had died or was incapacitated.
McConnnell's disclosure comes after growing pressure
McConnell had provided little information since his hospitalization on
June 14, his office insisting only that he was “receiving excellent
care” and recovering. Speculation about his condition grew so intense
that Kentucky’s Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear took the extraordinary step
last week of issuing a public letter asking McConnell to update the
public in a “transparent manner.”
McConnell is retiring at the end of January after one of the most
consequential careers in modern politics. Republicans have nominated
U.S. Rep. Andy Barr to replace him, while Democrats have nominated
former state lawmaker Charles Booker. He said he is determined to finish
out his term.
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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks at an event, Aug. 2, 2025, in
Fancy Farm, Ky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
“I still have unfinished business to complete on your behalf,”
McConnell wrote in the statement addressed to Kentuckians, “and I
have every intention of finishing the job you elected me to do.”
McConnell has a history of health problems
McConnell had polio in his early childhood and has long acknowledged
some difficulty as an adult in walking and climbing stairs.
The physician’s office in Congress in the statement Sunday said
McConnell has “experienced several falls through the year” due to
his “post-polio condition.” The office said his physical therapy is
aimed at reducing the risk of him falling again.
“A comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team determined
that he had no fractures, cardiac abnormalities, stroke, tumor, or
hemorrhage," the physician's office said.
McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the
Republican leader from 2007 until last year, serving as both
majority and minority leader during that period. He has remained
active as a rank-and-file senator, showing up for work when the
chamber is in session, often using a wheelchair to get around.
But the senator’s physical condition has visibly declined in recent
years.
He was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 and missed
several weeks of work after falling in a Washington hotel. He twice
froze up during news conferences after he returned, staring vacantly
ahead before colleagues and staff. A year later, he fell and
sprained his wrist while walking out of a GOP luncheon.
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