Sen. McConnell Hospitalized With Flu-Like Symptoms

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was hospitalized on Feb. 3 after experiencing flu-like symptoms, his spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that the prognosis for McConnell, 83, was positive. 

“[McConnell] is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving. He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business,” a spokesperson for McConnell wrote to The Epoch Times in an email. 

McConnell checked himself into the hospital. The spokesperson described McConnell’s decision as being done out of “an abundance of caution.”

McConnell’s health has been a subject of public discussion after two instances in 2023 when, during public remarks, he froze while speaking and became unresponsive to questions until he was led away. McConnell was also hospitalized after falling at the U.S. Capitol.

Those incidents prompted criticism over McConnell remaining in office at his age. It also sparked a debate about the age of America’s federal political leaders. At the time, President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Senate Democratic Caucus Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) were all over 70.

“For goodness sake, the family, friends, and staff of [Sen.] McConnell are doing [him] and our country a tremendous disservice,” then-Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) wrote on X at the time. “It’s time for term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court, and some basic human decency.”

Then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also responded to video footage of McConnell’s freeze. “Severe aging health issues and/or mental health incompetence in our nation’s leaders MUST be addressed,” she wrote on X.

McConnell defended his ability to serve in office despite the lapses.

“I’m fine. I’m completely recovered, and I’m just fine,” McConnell said after his second episode in 2023. “[W]e ought to be talking about [other matters] rather than my health.” 

McConnell is not seeking reelection to an eighth term and will retire from Congress when his present term expires on Jan. 3, 2027. A primary contest for the election to choose his successor is scheduled for May 19. The Republican primary is competitive among Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, businessman Nate Morris, and nine other candidates.

McConnell has served in the Senate since Jan. 3, 1985, including six years as Senate majority leader. He also served as the Leader of the Senate Republican Conference for 18 years from 2007 to 2025.

Since retiring as the Republican leader, McConnell has been chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. 

McConnell has frequently clashed with Trump during his second term in office, though he endorsed him in the 2024 presidential election.