NEW: Mitch McConnell’s Wife Breaks Her Silence
Published 17 hours ago
on July 10, 2026
By Trinity Hallinan
Elaine Chao is pushing back after her trip to China during Sen. Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization fueled online speculation and political chatter.
The former U.S. transportation secretary returned to the United States this week after traveling abroad while her husband remained hospitalized following a June 14 medical emergency.
Chao’s trip became a flashpoint as McConnell’s team continued to provide few details about why the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican was admitted to the hospital or how he is doing.
“The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors,” a spokesperson for Chao said in a statement to The Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. “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.”
Chao, who served as transportation secretary during President Donald Trump’s first term and labor secretary under President George W. Bush, has been married to McConnell for decades.
Days after McConnell was hospitalized, the Chinese Embassy in Washington released a photo of Chao seated beside Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing.
The image, taken in front of a large painting of the Great Wall, only added fuel to the online rumors already swirling around McConnell’s health.
Chao left for China on June 12, two days before McConnell was hospitalized, according to WLKY in Louisville.
Her staff did not say whether she had been in contact with McConnell since returning home, according to the station.
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