As Rumors Keep Swirling on McConnell, Chao Returns to US

Elaine Chao is back in the US after a China trip that collided with her husband Sen. Mitch McConnell's June 14 hospitalization—and lit up the internet with speculation. Chao's office said the visit had been scheduled well in advance and focused on her family's philanthropic work, with meetings that included the US ambassador in Beijing, per the Courier Journal. "The senator's health did not warrant an immediate return to the US," her spokesperson said.

Chao, who led the DOT under President Trump during his first term and served as the head of the Department of Labor under George W. Bush, left for China on June 12. Days after McConnell was hospitalized, the Chinese Embassy released a photo of her sitting beside Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing. Her staff hasn't said whether she has spoken with McConnell since coming home, per local outlet WLKY.

New York Magazine says Chao's actions are making the whole situation even "weirder," pointing out that even if McConnell isn't brain dead, as has been rumored, he has been in the hospital for closing in on a month. "Isn't that fact enough reason for Chao to fly home early?" the outlet notes. "She is not a government official, and it doesn't sound like she was dealing with an urgent national-security matter." Adding to the intrigue: McConnell's youngest daughter, Porter McConnell, has deleted her X account, according to the Independent. (Kentucky's governor has asked for a health update from McConnell's team.)