Dear FO° Reader,
This week, we will turn our focus back to the United States. More specifically, we are focusing on a slow-burning media frenzy that has developed over the past few months, centered on the health of one man: Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.
McConnell was hospitalized on June 14, 2026, for reasons that remain unclear. He remained in hospital care for months, with nearly no details on his health or recovery released to the public. This led to rampant speculation in the press and in the public, with some commentators even speculating that McConnell was dead and that his aides and political party were withholding details to keep his seat from being seized.
via shutterstock
In the end, McConnell was released from the hospital on August 6, and returned to the Senate on September 14. However, it was clear that McConnell was significantly diminished. He was unresponsive after being called repeatedly during the first vote he had participated in, with another senator having to intervene to get McConnell to react.
Even weeks after the incident, pundits and the general public hotly debate McConnell’s health. But even with all the noise, one thing should be clear: no matter what your political opinion on the man, and there are many, McConnell should not be serving as a senator in his current health, even if the man’s past actions would say he himself would disagree.
Sources:
McConnell says a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking weeks of silence | NPR
Frail Mitch McConnell appears to need assist from fellow Republicans after he nearly votes wrong way in Senate | The Independent
A brief timeline of McConnell’s many accomplishments and roadblocks
McConnell is an extremely storied and important senator in the US Congress. In his over 40-year-long career, the senator has been in key leadership positions almost uninterrupted since 2003. McConnell became famous for several acts that delighted many in the Republican Party and infuriated the entirety of the Democratic Party. In 2011, as Senate minority leader, he worked to blockade federal spending until the semi-ruling Democratic Party agreed to heavy austerity measures.
McConnell became a key figure in the Republican Party over the next four years, helping block many bills proposed by Democrats, including gun control in the wake of the Sandy Hook mass shooting and several attempts to block the Affordable Care Act.
This caused him to become a key figure of frustration to the American left, which was only amplified further after 2014 when Republicans won the Senate and he became majority leader, a role similar to a prime minister in parliamentary systems.
But by far, McConnell’s most famous, or infamous, act was blocking the appointment of Merrick Garland to the US Supreme Court. In the election year of 2016, Justice Antonin Scalia, a firebrand conservative justice, died. Then-President Barack Obama moved to replace him with a new nominee, as clearly outlined in the US Constitution. But before Obama even made a formal announcement, McConnell declared that there would be no new justice until after the election in November. It was February.
Despite Garland being known as a moderate, McConnell and his Senate Republicans were adamant, refusing to give the would-be Justice a hearing, saying that “the American people should have a say in the court’s direction.” Eventually, McConnell got his way. With the election of the Republican Donald Trump that year, they voted in a conservative Republican Justice along party lines in 2017.
As a capstone to this story, in September 2020, near the end of the 2020 presidential election, the left-leaning Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. McConnell, still Senate majority leader, rushed to replace her with another conservative Justice, pushing Trump’s nominee through on party lines. This set the stage for the current balance of the Supreme Court of 6–3 in favor of conservative Justices, and seems likely to remain for a generation given that Justices are lifetime appointments in America.
Sources:
Mitch McConnell | Britannica
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting | Britannica
Affordable Care Act (ACA) | Britannica
What Happened With Merrick Garland In 2016 And Why It Matters Now | NPR
On Night Ginsburg Died McConnell Pushed Trump to Nominate Barrett | PBS
McConnell’s failing health
While McConnell’s antics drew him applause from Republicans and burning hatred from Democrats, the 70-year-old senator seemed more than able to take both admiration and scorn. But in 2023, an 81-year-old McConnell suffered several accidents. In the first half of the year, McConnell suffered two falling episodes, at least one of which required a hospital visit.
But much more publicly and alarmingly, those two falls were followed by two episodes that called the senator’s neurological health into question. On both occasions, McConnell froze up after being asked a direct question at a press conference, before being escorted out by aides.
This sent speculation into overdrive, with many left-leaning commentators declaring McConnell unfit. Nonetheless, the Senator continued to serve as minority leader until 2025, though he did declare he would not seek reelection in 2026.
Sources:
TIMELINE: Mitch McConnell’s health scares leading up to his latest hospitalization | KRCRTV
Sen. Mitch McConnell freezes during press conference | ABC
Mitch McConnell appears to freeze, struggle to speak in second incident this summer | CNBC
Then, 2026 came. In June, McConnell was hospitalized, and did not make a public appearance for months. Rumors began to quickly swirl. After a month, commentators were calling for Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to replace McConnell for dereliction of duty among many other charges, something most US state governors can do.
These rumors were not helped by Beshear stating that he had received calls suggesting McConnell really was dead. However, in 2024, the Republican-controlled Kentucky legislature passed laws explicitly stripping the governor’s office of these powers, so there was little Beshear could reasonably do. Furthermore, the thin margin within the Senate (53–47 in favor of Republicans) was often cited as an incentive to keep McConnell in his seat at all costs.
These rumors raged for months, with only sparse photographs proving McConnell’s status, until finally, McConnell returned to the Senate. He was wheelchair-bound, but briefly spoke to journalists. However, the senator has made few public statements since then, and his weak appearance, seeming confusion at his surroundings and almost miscast vote on a farm bill continue fueling speculation on his well-being.
Sources:
Despite calls for Beshear to ‘do something’ about Mitch McConnell, the answer isn’t so simple | Kentucky Lantern
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says he’s ‘heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell’ | The Hill
Mitch McConnell returns to Senate after fall that led to an extended medical absence | NPR
McConnell’s Senate Return Sparks More Questions About 84-Year-Old’s Health | Forbes
Watch The Moment Mitch McConnell Appears To Be Prompted To Vote Yes On Farm Bill | Forbes
Accusations of geriatricity
McConnell’s health is of great concern, but the age of US politicians has been a key point of concern for several years now. Former President Joe Biden was 82 when he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race after a disastrous presidential debate kicked off a civil war inside the Democratic Party. Many representatives openly called for Biden’s resignation after he gave rambling, sometimes nonsensical answers during the nationally televised debate.
Current President Donald Trump, 80, has also been fighting concerns about his mental competency since before he took office in 2016. Some commentators speculate he has dementia, citing his erratic behavior, unclear speeches and bizarre tangents where he brags about basic cognitive tests.
Within the Senate, former California Senator Dianne Feinstein died in 2023 at the age of 90, the then oldest-serving senator. She was also battling calls for her to step down, citing memory and other competency issues, as well as long hospital stays. In fact, many senators are quite old, with the median age being 64. McConnell is the third oldest serving senator at 84, only beaten by Bernie Sanders at 85 and Chuck Grassley at 93.
Sources:
Biden drops out of 2024 race after disastrous debate inflamed age concerns. VP Harris gets his nod | The Associated Press
Age and health concerns about Donald Trump | Wikipedia
Dianne Feinstein suffered brain inflammation as complication from shingles, aide confirms | ABC News
Ages of members of the 119th Congress (2025-2026) | Ballotpedia
Don’t you think he looks tired?
Congress has gone into recess until after the November 2026 elections, so McConnell will likely face no more votes for the rest of his career. Nonetheless, the public will probably remember this bizarre episode of American politics for many years, especially when it happened to such a storied senator.
Many commentators on the left have made snide remarks about how McConnell in his prime would likely approve of how he is being used to support Republican positions no matter how bad he looks. They also like to cite the irony of McConnell living on three months of government-paid healthcare despite spending years battling legislation like the Affordable Care Act.
But the fact remains that McConnell, for however short a term he had after his last hospital visit, seemed to clearly be unwell. He should not have returned to the Senate in the state he was in. More importantly, he is a clear symptom of an aging political class, with a disturbing number of persistent rumors about their mental acuity. Something must be done, legislatively or culturally, to encourage these politicians to retire earlier and with more dignity, instead of leaving as an open farce.
Sources:
Senate adjourns until November with Republicans fearful of losing majority | The Hill
Political positions of Mitch McConnell | Wikipedia
Casey Herrmann
Assistant Editor
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