Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered a serious concussion on March 9 after a fall at a fundraising dinner — and he still hasn’t returned to work weeks later.
McConnell has served in the Senate for 38 years… but he may need to retire before the end of his term because of the extent of the brain injury, according to a Washington, D.C., insider.
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“Mitch has been a lion of the Senate so long that it’s hard to imagine him not being there,” a Washington insider told RadarOnline.com.
“But he’s 81 years old, and this isn’t the first time that he’s fallen. The talk is he may consider stepping down long before his current six-year term expires in 2027!”
In 2019, the Kentucky Republican underwent shoulder surgery after another fall. He’s also suffered from health problems unrelated to injuries from falling. In 2003, he underwent a triple bypass on his heart.
McConnell, 81, recovered from polio as a child. Even after recovering, polio survivors can lose some mobility later in life, as part of a condition called post-polio syndrome. He has acknowledged some difficulty in adulthood climbing stairs.
Of course, older adults also experience some mobility problems as part of the aging process, even without polio.
Even if McConnell stays in the Senate until the end of his term, he appeared to have suffered a particularly serious injury this time.
The Senate leader is apparently still undergoing inpatient treatment two weeks after the fall, even after spending four days in the hospital.
“Leader McConnell’s concussion recovery is proceeding well and the Leader was discharged from the hospital today,” Communications Director David Popp said in a statement on Mar. 13.
“At the advice of his physician, the next step will be a period of physical therapy at an inpatient rehabilitation facility before he returns home. Over the course of treatment this weekend, the Leader’s medical team discovered that he also suffered a minor rib fracture on Wednesday, for which he is also being treated.”
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The office did not give any additional detail on his condition or say how long McConnell will be out. Concussions can be serious injuries and take time for recovery, especially for the elderly. Even a single concussion can limit a person’s abilities as they recover.
The Senate is scheduled to be in session for the rest of March.
Former President Donald Trump, a frequent critic, made a point of wishing McConnell a comfortable recovery — with a classic Trump twist.
“He’s a problem, big problem. In the meantime, I hope he’s feeling well, but he’s a big problem,” Trump told a crowd in Iowa.
In January, McConnell became the longest-serving Senate leader, breaking the previous record of 16 years.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.