NEED TO KNOW
- Sen. Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,” according to his spokesperson
- In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the spokesperson said that the Kentucky Republican checked himself into the hospital on Monday, Feb. 2, out of an “abundance of caution”
- The former Senate majority leader has publicly struggled with his health since 2024, when he resigned as the U.S. Senate’s longest-serving party leader
Sen. Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized after experiencing “flu-like symptoms” over the weekend.
The 83-year-old former Senate majority leader was hospitalized on the evening of Monday, Feb. 2, after he began experiencing the symptoms over the weekend, according to the statement shared with PEOPLE.
“In an abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night,” the statement read.
The Kentucky Republican has been in “regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business,” the statement continued. It also noted that McConnell’s prognosis is “positive,” and that he 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,” the statement concluded.
It is unclear how long McConnell is expected to remain in the hospital. He was not in attendance for Senate votes on Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 3, WLKY reported.
This hospitalization is the latest in a series of health challenges for McConnell. In October 2025, he tripped and fell while being questioned by an activist about his feelings on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a video of the incident, McConnell, who was walking with a visibly stiff gait and relying on a person beside him for stability, can be seen stumbling to the ground toward the end of the woman’s question and landing on his left side.
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McConnell has a well-documented history of public falls and freezing episodes, with the October 2025 fall marking his third in less than a year. He resigned from his post as the head of the Senate Republican Conference, a position he held since 2007, in 2024, amid concerns surrounding his health.
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