Mitch McConnell

Andrea Austria / Media Matters

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Right-wing media have filled the void of Mitch McConnell’s absence with conspiracy theories and criticism

Written by Gideon Taaffe & Helena Hind

Published

After Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was hospitalized for almost a month without releasing any details about his health to the public, CNN’s Scott Jennings and multiple GOP senators noted they had had long conversations with the senator, fueling criticism and conspiracy theories among some right-wing media figures. According to a July 11 statement from McConnell, he was hospitalized after a fall and was treated for pneumonia. 

While Jennings repeatedly said he had a phone call with McConnell and his “voice sounded strong,” others in right-wing media claimed “Mitch McConnell is brain dead” or vaguely stated “something is not right, something is going on here.” After McConnell’s office posted a photo of the senator at the hospital, some in right-wing media still cast doubt on the photo, speculating that it may have been generated by artificial intelligence and arguing that McConnell needs to “do a video.”

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  • Sen. Mitch McConnell has been in the hospital since mid June and has offered little information about his health

    • McConnell was admitted to a hospital on June 14, but his office offered very few specifics at the time about his condition. [The Associated Press, 6/14/26]
    • Following a nearly month-long silence, the senator issued a statement saying he was “briefly unconscious” after a fall and was treated for pneumonia. McConnell said he would not yet be returning to the Senate as he recovers. His statement also contained a photo of McConnell and his wife. [The Associated Press, 7/12/26]

  • CNN’s conservative commentator Scott Jennings and multiple GOP senators defended McConnell and his health with claims they had spoken with him at length

    • On July 7, spokespeople for both Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso said they had “lengthy” calls with McConnell. A spokesperson for Thune said he and McConnell “had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security,” and a spokesperson for Barrasso said, “Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.” [Politico, 7/7/26]
    • Also on July 7, Scott Jennings claimed on social media that he had a phone call with McConnell. Jennings wrote: “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 Independent, 7/8/26]
    • Jennings appeared on CNN's The Arena with Kasie Hunt and reaffirmed that he had spoken to McConnell. Jennings: “He called me this morning before I did my radio show. We talked for about 17 minutes.” He added that McConnell’s “voice sounded strong and sounded like he was keeping up with the news to me.” [CNN, The Arena with Kasie Hunt, 7/7/26]
    • On CNN’s Laura Coates Live, Jennings said, “All I can tell you is that I did talk to him [McConnell] on the phone for several minutes.” Jennings continued, “He was pretty chatty about world affairs. He clearly had been tracking the news on Iran, on the NATO meetings, and what was going on, possibly, with peace talks with Ukraine and Russia.” Laura Coates pressed: “He just called you out of the blue?” Jennings replied, “Yeah. I mean I’ve known him since I was a teenager.” [CNN, Laura Coates Live, 7/7/26]
    • On The Charlie Kirk Show, Jennings reaffirmed that he had spoken to McConnell. Jennings: “My report was basically that he was up and about, making calls, and able to chat about some of the issues of the day.” [The Charlie Kirk Show, 7/8/26]
    • CNN's Jake Tapper asked Jennings if he spoke to McConnell and asked, “Can you tell me … why he hasn't released a video of him talking to his constituents,” to which Jennings replied, “Yeah, I did talk to him Tuesday, and the answer is no, I can't tell you why.” Jennings continued: “I know he was actually meeting with some of his staff late this afternoon about a few issues going on over at the Senate. And truthfully, it sounded to me like somebody who was preparing at some point to go back to work.” [CNN, The Lead with Jake Tapper, 7/9/26]

  • Right-wing media used McConnell’s absence to speculate wildly and push conspiracy theories

    • Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson claimed “high-level people inside of the government and inside of the Trump White House” are saying that “Mitch McConnell is brain dead.” [YouTube, The Benny Show, 7/6/26]
    • After McConnell released a photo and a statement about his health, Johnson said the photo “does look like a hostage situation with [McConnell’s wife] Elaine Chao there.” Johnson then read through social media posts from users questioning if the photo was generated by artificial intelligence or was an old photo. [YouTube, The Benny Show, 7/12/26]
    • SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly remarked on McConnell's “proof of life-type photo”: “He looks a little propped up.” She continued, “His facial expression looks odd. He’s not looking in the camera, he’s kind of looking up. It is a little odd. … This has a lot of tongues wagging about whether this is real, whether we can trust this photo.” [SiriusXM, The Megyn Kelly Show, 7/13/26]
    • Prior to McConnell's statement, right-wing podcaster Laura Loomer posted: “High level source close to the White House tells me ‘Mitch McConnell is officially brain dead. He’s not coming back.’” [The Daily Beast, 7/6/26]
    • Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said on his online show, “I hope he recovers, but I think he's pretty much dead.” He continued, saying, “This is a complete fraud on the people of Kentucky so they don’t have to have an election in three months.” [Lindell TV, The Rudy Giuliani Show, 7/9/26]
    • Newsmax host Carl Higbie mocked comments from McConnell’s staff claiming the senator was “actively working with his staff” and said, “Excuse me for not believing this.” Higbie also said, “There are demands for proof of life from people like myself.” [Newsmax, Carl Higbie Frontline, 7/7/26]
    • The Alex Jones Network's Harrison Smith questioned, “Why can we not confirm that he's alive? Is it because he's dead? Is that why?” He continued later, “Who knows what can happen when your senator is brain dead but his office is still functioning.” [Alex Jones Network, War Room, 7/9/26] 
    • In a YouTube short, right-wing online commentator Brett Cooper said, “There are rumors circling about his Chinese wife fleeing back to communist China, the whole nine yards.” She continued later, “Because his team cannot provide any meaningful updates and we are now seeing these very strange 20-minute conversations in lieu of updates, people are just saying, you know, is this man a vegetable? Is he, you know, sadly on life support? He's not going to be able to finish his term, but, you know, they don't want to go through the hassle of doing a special election, so they're just going to say he's hospitalized until his reelection comes up in the fall? I mean it’s just awful. Terrible, terrible strategy.” [Youtube, 7/8/26]
    • Newsmax host Rob Finnerty called Scott Jennings' comments about McConnell “bizarre," saying, “I don’t buy that at all.” He also said, “Something is not right. Something is going on. That was so weird.” [Newsmax, Finnerty, 7/7/26]

  • Some in right-wing media drew parallels to controversies over former President Joe Biden’s health when he was in office, called for McConnell to retire, and criticized him and his staff for their lack of transparency

    • Fox News host Will Cain said regarding McConnell's health issues, “We are well past time for term limits,” adding later, “There is no point in someone being in office for this long.” He continued, “It no longer serves the country. It only serves themselves.” Guest Vinny Minchillo responded, “I blame this on the people around Mitch Mcconnell in a lot of ways. You know, it is hard for them to give up that power. They know he has lost a step. They know his health condition. They see him every day. So the people in power around him, I think, don’t want to give up that power.” [Fox News, The Will Cain Show, 7/7/26]
    • Right-wing radio host Glenn Beck criticized Republicans and McConnell's staff and compared their lack of transparency to former President Joe Biden. Beck: “If your party has spent years demanding honesty about the president's health, you kind of have an obligation to demand honesty about your own leader in your own GOP.” [Mercury Radio Arts, The Glenn Beck Program, 7/7/26]
    • Newsmax host Rob Finnerty compared the situation to Biden’s, saying, “Mitch McConnell is worse than Joe Biden. … Instead of just retiring, this is what we’re left with.” He later said, “Not one of them [GOP senators] has called on Mitch McConnell to resign, and I have a problem with that.” Finnerty continued, “John Thune is the Senate majority leader — for now. I don’t care about how much he likes Mitch McConnell, how much he respects Mitch McConnell. If he really cared, he would call on him to resign immediately.” [Newsmax, Finnerty, 7/9/26]
    • Fox News’ Lawrence Jones criticized McConnell’s statement and photo showing his condition, saying, “At some point the senator's office — they’re going to have to do a video.” Jones continued, “When people see a statement, that doesn't help that much. It was great to see the photo of him and his wife. But I think the people deserve — if we’re going to talk about Joe Biden and what he did during this period of time, I think people's appetite for transparency — they want to see the person that is involved.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 7/13/26]