Several Republicans said they spoke with Sen. Mitch McConnell this week, who remains hospitalized after being admitted on June 14.

The comments from Senate Majority Leader Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, and Republican strategist Scott Jennings are the first to shed any light on McConnell’s condition since his hospitalization last month. McConnell’s office has so far only released very limited information, which has fueled speculation about his diagnosis and condition online.

Jennings described a 20 minute call with the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican in which he said they discussed several key political issues.

“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” Jennings said in a post on X. “He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible,” the commentator added.

Thune also said he’d had a “lengthy and substantive conversation” with McConnell on Monday.

The uncertainty surrounding McConnell’s health had drawn particular attention because of his long tenure in the Senate, his age, and his status as one of the most influential Republican lawmakers of the modern era. The Republican senator is serving out his final term, which ends in January 2027, and questions about his condition have also renewed discussion about Kentucky’s rules for filling a Senate vacancy should one occur.

What We Know

McConnell was hospitalized on June 14. Emergency dispatch recordings indicated that responders were sent to McConnell’s Washington address for an unconscious individual undergoing cardiac arrest and that CPR was later reported to be in progress. The recordings, however, did not identify McConnell as the person receiving medical attention. Newsweek has not independently verified the recordings.

The limited public information has also prompted a wave of discussion and speculation on social media.

Republicans Say They’ve Spoken To McConnell

Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee said in a Tuesday post on his personal X account that many senators weren’t speaking about McConnell’s health “because we know nothing about his condition.”

However, several lawmakers have come forward to say they have spoken with McConnell.

Both Thune, a South Dakota Republican, and Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said they spoke with McConnell this week.

“Leader Thune spoke with Sen. McConnell yesterday by phone. They had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security,” a Thune spokesperson said.

Barrasso spokesperson Kate Noyes said he and McConnell had spoken for 20 minutes on Tuesday.

“They caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits,” Noyes said. “They also discussed the Senate’s July work period, including the need to pass the NDAA and confirm President Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence. Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.”

Later on Tuesday, Jennings appeared on CNN where he faced transparency questions over McConnell and his medical condition.

“Do you think Mitch McConnell would be willing to call in to the show?’ host Kasie Hunt asked him directly. “Can we get him on the phone now?”

Jennings appeared to sidestep the question, responding that, “I wasn’t really expecting him to call this morning to be honest.”

Where is Mitch McConnell Now?

The former Senate Majority Leader’s office has confirmed that he remains in hospital but has released few details about his condition or when he is expected to be released. His office has not publicly disclosed which hospital he is in, only saying that he was “receiving excellent care.”

“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” McConnell’s office told Newsweek on Tuesday. “The Senator continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

What His Family Has Said

McConnell’s wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing three days after McConnell’s reported hospitalization, according to the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

The embassy said Han “urged efforts to further strengthen cooperation in economic and trade, among other fields, and deepen cultural, people-to-people and subnational exchanges, to shore up the support for the development of bilateral relations.”

“Chao said maintaining stable U.S.-China relations serves the interests of all parties, and expressed the willingness to continue making efforts to promote practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the United States and China.”

Chao visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University on June 12, the school said in a press release, and toured several of its facilities.

A spokesperson for Chao told Newsweek on Sunday: “The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors. During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the U.S. ambassador. The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.”

TMZ reported on Monday that McConnell’s oldest daughter, Porter, had seemingly deleted her X account, which it noted had long been active. The outlet said there was “no indication” her account’s removal was connected to the longtime senator’s health.

A Newsweek search for the account TMZ said was Porter McConnell’s returned the message on X: “This account doesn’t exist.”

McConnell has three daughters with his ex-wife Sherill Redmon: Elly, Claire and Porter. Redmon and McConnell were married from 1968 to 1980.

McConnell’s Health History

McConnell’s latest hospitalization follows several years in which his health has drawn public attention, including falls, hospital treatment and two moments in 2023 when he briefly stopped speaking during press conferences.

In March 2023, McConnell was hospitalized after falling at a private dinner event in Washington, D.C. Newsweek reported at the time that he later returned home after inpatient physical therapy. ABC News reported that he suffered a concussion and minor rib fracture.

McConnell’s health came under renewed scrutiny later that year after two public episodes in which he paused while speaking to reporters. During a July 2023 press conference at the Capitol, McConnell seemed to freeze up before returning to tell reporters he was “fine.”

A similar episode followed in August in Kentucky, when McConnell appeared unable to answer a question for more than 30 seconds before an aide intervened. A spokesperson said after the August episode that the senator had felt “momentarily lightheaded.”

McConnell has also had several falls in recent years. In December 2024, his office said he sustained a sprained wrist and a minor cut to his face after falling following a Senate Republican lunch. He also reportedly fell near the Senate chamber in February 2025, with a spokesperson saying the “lingering effects of polio in his left leg” would not disrupt his work schedule.

McConnell has been open in the past about having polio as a child. He contracted the illness as a toddler and has been a lifelong advocate for the polio vaccine. He was the only Republican senator to vote against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary in February 2025, citing Kennedy’s promotion of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.

In October 2025, McConnell fell in the basement of a Senate office building; his office later said he was “all good” and that he continued voting in the Senate.

Health Questions Raise Kentucky Senate Succession Issues

McConnell’s recent hospitalization has renewed scrutiny of what would happen if he were unable to complete his term.

As Newsweek previously reported, while no signs have been given that McConnell plans to resign, the episode has spotlighted a 2024 change to Kentucky law that replaced gubernatorial appointments for Senate vacancies with a special-election process—a change that would apply if a vacancy occurred before McConnell’s term expires in January 2027.

However, it does not specify how a vacancy occurring late in an election year would interact with a Senate race already on the ballot.