McConnell ‘Eager’ For Return After Concussion

Topline

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is “doing well” and “eager” to leave a Washington D.C. area hospital after suffering a concussion at a dinner event earlier this week, an advisor told multiple outlets Friday, though the 81-year-old senator’s return to Congress has not yet been announced.

Key Facts

Josh Holmes, a longtime advisor to McConnell, said he has been in a D.C. hospital with McConnell for the past two days, noting he has been walking and “peppering” staff with questions.

McConnell suffered the concussion Wednesday night after he tripped and fell at a private dinner hosted by the Senate Leadership Fund super PAC at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel—formerly the Trump International Hotel—in Washington D.C.

In an update Thursday, David Popp, McConnell’s communications director, said McConnell is expected to stay at the hospital “for a few days of observation and treatment,” though he did not confirm at the time when McConnell is expected to return to the Senate.

Key Background

McConnell had suffered a shoulder fracture after he tripped and fell at his Kentucky home in 2019, an incident that required shoulder surgery. He has also been candid about lingering health issues as a result of a bout with polio he had as a four-year-old. He referenced the disease in a 2021 TV ad urging Kentucky residents to sign up for the Covid-19 vaccine, saying, “back then, it took decades for us to develop a vaccine.”

Tangent

McConnell is not the only member of the Senate away from the chamber for a medical reason. Freshman Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has also been receiving treatment in a D.C. area hospital after being admitted late last month for “severe” clinical depression. Fetterman, who suffered a stroke on the campaign trail last May, had been admitted one week earlier for lightheadedness. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) was released from the hospital earlier this week after receiving treatment for shingles. Feinstein, 89, said she hopes to make it back to the Senate later this month.

What We Don’t Know

When McConnell will return to the Senate. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) had reportedly predicted he would remain in the hospital over the weekend and make his return early next week.

Further Reading

McConnell Suffered Concussion After D.C. Fall—Will Stay Hospitalized A ‘Few’ Days, Spokesman Says (Forbes)

Sen. Mitch McConnell Hospitalized After Fall At D.C. Hotel (Forbes)