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\n McConnell in the Senate subway at the U.S. Capitol on May 19, 2026.
\n Photo: Al Drago\/Bloomberg\/Getty Images\n <\/p>\n
In mid-June, Mitch McConnell<\/a> was admitted to the hospital for an undisclosed reason, marking the latest health concern for Kentucky\u2019s senior senator and the former Republican Senate majority leader. In the weeks since, speculation has grown as the 84-year-old remains in the hospital with scant updates on his condition, and newly surfaced dispatch audio suggests McConnell was likely unconscious when emergency responders arrived to take him there.<\/p>\n NBC News<\/a> reports that it obtained EMS dispatch audio from June 14, the day McConnell was hospitalized, which revealed that paramedics arrived on scene in response to a report of an \u201cunconscious person\u201d and a possible \u201ccardiac arrest.\u201d In another clip, a paramedic can be heard saying \u201cCPR in progress,\u201d per reports from CBS News<\/a> and CNN<\/a>, both of which reviewed the audio. Portions of the dispatch call were first shared by journalist Desir\u00e9e Townsend on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reports are the first public indicator of the potential severity of McConnell\u2019s current condition. On the day of McConnell\u2019s admittance to the hospital, his office confirmed the news in a brief statement<\/a>. \u201cSenator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,\u201d David Popp, a McConnell spokesman, said on June 14.<\/p>\n McConnell\u2019s office followed that announcement with another short missive<\/a> one day later, writing that he was \u201cfully engaged with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters\u201d but offering no further detail on why he was admitted or his medical state. The lack of information continued further into June as Popp confirmed that McConnell would be missing votes.<\/p>\n \u201cSenator McConnell is still working closely with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters as he continues his recovery. However, he will not be voting this week,\u201d Popp said in a June 22 statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n The day after he was hospitalized, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he had spoken to McConnell, giving a positive read of their interaction. \u201cHe sounded good. He wants to be back,\u201d Thune said, per ABC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thune continued, \u201cHe is clearly dialed in to what\u2019s going on. He\u2019s following along with stuff we are doing this week up here. Very much so.\u201d<\/p>\n McConnell\u2019s weeks-long hospitalization is one in a series of health scares the the seven-term senator has contended with in recent years. In March 2023, he was admitted to the hospital after a fall at a dinner event<\/a> at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., having suffered a concussion and a fractured rib. He was discharged<\/a> to an inpatient rehab facility several days later. He did not return to the Senate<\/a> until April.\u00a0That summer, McConnell publicly froze on two occasions, falling silent during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol<\/a> and again during a press event in Kentucky<\/a>. McConnell, who is a survivor of childhood polio, has also experienced several public falls, including a 2024 instance where he sprained his wrist<\/a> after tripping as he exited a Senate Republican luncheon, and an incident in 2025 where he fell in a Capitol hallway<\/a> while being questioned by activists from Sunrise Movement.<\/p>\n In 2024, McConnell announced his plans to step down from Republican leadership<\/a> after heading the party in the Senate in both the minority and majority since 2006. The following year, McConnell said he would not seek reelection<\/a> in 2026.<\/p>\n Sign Up for the Intelligencer\u00a0Newsletter<\/p>\n Daily news about the politics, business, and technology shaping our world.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n