Elaine Chao has fueled the mystery around her husband’s whereabouts after speaking solo at an event to honor him.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, a 1964 university graduate, founded the McConnell Center along with University of Louisville officials in 1991.
But when more than 300 attendees gathered to pay homage to the center on its 35th anniversary on Monday, the man it was named after was nowhere to be seen. Instead, his wife, the 73-year-old former Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Labor, stood in for him.
She spoke to the attendees and posted photos of the event, where her husband was conspicuously absent. His health issues are no secret. The frail-looking 84-year-old emerged from self-imposed exile earlier this month after a 92-day hiatus to return to work in Washington, D.C.
The last time he was seen publicly in Kentucky was on May 26, when he appeared in Brownsville to announce nearly $30 million in funding for the Edmonson County Water District.
On Thursday, the wheelchair-bound senator was spotted being loaded into an SUV for a third trip to Capitol Hill since he reemerged into public life. However, he didn’t stick around for two more votes that day.
He struggled when he was required to vote to help Republicans advance the Farm Bill.
When McConnell’s name was read, North Dakota Republican Senator John Hoeven leaned in towards him and told him to vote “No,” and the 84-year-old could be heard quietly saying “aye.”
A female aide behind McConnell and Chairman John Boozman, who McConnell was also seated next to, both told him to vote “aye.”
McConnell repeated “aye” again, in a hoarse voice, tentatively raising his finger.
“This poor guy, he seems to have no idea where he is, what he’s doing,” TV host Jimmy Kimmel reacted to his less-than-energetic return. “I’m not even sure if he knows who he is at this point. They’re just wheeling him around like a statue in a wax museum.”
The View’s Ana Navarro went one step further, calling it “elder abuse.”
The longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history looked dazed and confused on the Hill all week, while being flanked by his chief of staff Terry Carmack. Instead of speaking to anyone, including reporters, McConnell kept a vacant smile plastered on his face and alternated between a thumbs-up and a peace sign.
Bad bruising was visible on his right hand.
Last Wednesday, he appeared to freeze up during the Senate Agriculture Committee meeting on the Farm Bill. Footage showed McConnell’s face freezing as he looked down, staring blankly for over 12 seconds before looking up.
The awkward moment recalled McConnell freezing on camera twice, within a matter of months, in 2023.
Chao was pictured alongside her husband when the now-infamous “proof of life” photos from his hospital bed were circulated in July.
Since his hospitalization, McConnell has continued to receive Senate pay. Senators receive an annual salary of $174,000. During his three months of recovery, he received about $43,500 in pay while ignoring demands for updates and missing 60 Senate votes.
McConnell’s office has been contacted for comment.
