One of the most influential people in Washington, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, has been hospitalized after suffering a concussion in a tripping and falling incident on (March 9, 2023) Thursday.
McConnell, who is 81 and was first elected to represent Kentucky in the Senate in 1984, “tripped at a dinner event Wednesday evening and has been admitted to the hospital and is being treated for a concussion,” spokesperson David Popp said in a statement.
According to Reuters, Popp said-
“He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days of observation and treatment.”
Republican Senator John Barrasso, a McConnell’s leadership team member, said McConnell had been awake and talking to people.
Barrasso said-
“He’ll be fine. He’s going to be observed. “I expect he will recover fully and return here next week.”
McConnell had used his legislative expertise to scuttle numerous Democratic projects, both when his party possessed a majority and again when Democrats had the upper hand.
Long condemned by Democrats, especially for blocking the Senate from even considering a nomination to the Supreme Court by Democratic President Obama in 2016, one of his techniques that helped Republicans construct a 6-3 conservative majority on the Court has been singled out for particular scorn.
McConnell has also gotten on Trump’s wrong side for various reasons, including Trump’s unfounded allegations that massive voting fraud led to Biden’s victory over him in 2020. Despite some far-right Republicans questioning U.S. aid for the Ukrainians after Russia’s invasion last year, he has continued to support Ukraine.
McConnell has stayed out of the spotlight throughout the battle over extending the U.S. debt ceiling, leaving negotiations to Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy despite Republicans’ tight 222-213 advantage in the House.
McConnell’s health has recently declined. He injured his shoulder from a fall at his Kentucky home. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls accounted for more than 36,000 deaths in 2020 among Americans aged 65 and over.
Seventh Term
McConnell is the third senator from the United States to be hospitalized in recent weeks. He is currently serving his seventh six-year term, which ends in 2026. John Fetterman, a Democrat, is receiving treatment for depression, while Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat, was released to recover at home from her case of shingles.
McConnell was the majority leader of the Senate from 2015 to 2021 and has been the minority leader of the Senate since then. With the help of three independents who consistently side with them, Democrats have a 51-49 majority in the Senate.
McConnell, a former judge and county executive of Kentucky’s Jefferson County, has played a vital role in moving the federal judiciary to the right by expediting the confirmation of Republican nominees, including all three of President Trump’s Supreme Court picks.
McConnell was re-elected as the Republican leader of the Senate this year. Florida Senator Rick Scott ran against Mitch McConnell for the GOP leadership, receiving support from other Trump friends like Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. Republican and Democratic colleagues of McConnell’s expressed their best wishes for him.
The Democratic leader in the Senate, Charles Schumer, has expressed his support for Leader McConnell, saying, “I join every single one of my colleagues in wishing Leader McConnell a rapid and thorough recovery now.”
While McConnell earned the nickname “Grim Reaper” for his work to derail progressive legislation, his absence from the Senate might inflame tensions within his party. Despite Trump’s attacks on him and his wife, Elaine Chao, McConnell has been a bulwark against Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
You may not know, but this year has seen some prominent fatalities. Via our reporting, you can check the following:
- Grayson Chrisley Car Accident: Hospitalized After Car Crash In Nashville
- Cricketer Rishabh Pant Was Taken To The Hospital After An Accident Near Roorkee
McConnell voted to exonerate Trump of an impeachment allegation of incitement of insurrection that the House had passed, despite believing the former president was “practically and ethically culpable” for the attack on the U.S. Capitol that took place on January 6, 2021.
Trump has often made racial comments against Chao, the U.S. transportation secretary under Trump but resigned following the attack on January 6. He has also called Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell a “RINO,” or Republican in Name Only.
McConnell has been coy about whether he will support Trump in 2024, but he has pledged to endorse the GOP nominee regardless of who that may be.
