Elaine Chao Faces Scrutiny as Mitch McConnell 'Deteriorating in Public'

Elaine Chao, the wife of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has come under scrutiny after her husband appeared to freeze up during a press conference for the second time on Wednesday, in his home state of Kentucky.

The incident sparked calls for McConnell, aged 81, to resign from his post, with some prominent figures, including conservatives, urging 70-year-old former Secretary of Transportation Chao to intervene personally.

McConnell has experienced a number of medical incidents this year, beginning in March when he was briefly hospitalized with a "minor rib fracture" and concussion after falling at a hotel in Washington, D.C.

On July 26, McConnell froze while addressing journalists in Congress, and was led away by his fellow Republican lawmakers. The GOP leader returned minutes later, saying he felt fine and jokingly saying he'd been "sandbagged," a reference to remarks President Joe Biden made after his own stumble during a graduation ceremony in June.

Posting on X, formerly Twitter, House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene branded McConnell "unfit for office," alongside Biden and Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein and John Fetterman, both of whom have had health problems over the past year.

"Severe aging health issues and/or mental health incompetence in our nation's leaders MUST be addressed," the Georgia congresswoman wrote on X. "Biden, McConnell, Feinstein, and Fetterman are examples of people who are not fit for office and it's time to be serious about it.

"These politician's staff and family members should be ashamed of themselves by enabling and allowing their loved ones to remain in office all to hold power. We are talking about our country's national security and it's all at stake!"

Fox News contributor Leo Terrell, who has 1.8 million followers on X, posted: "Who is worst? Elder Abuse! Jill Biden or Elaine Chao?"

Stephanie Kennedy, a self-described Biden supporter with over 85,000 X followers, took aim at Chao directly, writing: "Sen. Mitch McConnell has been in an apparent health crisis for months. Elaine Chao has been described as his 'tiger wife' — but she appears to be standing idly by allowing her husband to slowly, painfully deteriorate. And McConnell is deteriorating in public, for all the world to witness."

Ken Gardner, a Texas-based politico with more than 16,000 followers, tweeted: "Elaine Chao needs to have a tough conversation with her husband Mitch McConnell. Jill Biden needs to have the same conversation with Joe. Melania Trump needs to have the same conversation with Donald, but they don't seem to be talking to each other."

Newsweek reached out to Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao for comment via online contact form and email, respectively.

Chao is an established political figure in her own right, serving from 2001 to 2009 as President George W. Bush's secretary of labor and the secretary of transportation from 2017 to 2021 under Trump.

On January 7, 2021, Chao announced she was resigning from her post in response to the storming of Congress by hundreds of Trump supporters who were seeking to block the certification of Biden's election victory. In a statement, she said the event "deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside."

In response, Trump took to calling Taiwanese-American official "Coco Chow," in what was widely regarded as a racial slur, along with "China lover."

If McConnell does step down it could trigger another round of Republican infighting, with Donald Trump supporters and skeptics in Congress clashing over his succession.

Thomas Gift, who heads the Centre for U.S. Politics at Imperial College London, told Newsweek that any move against McConnell by his fellow Republicans is likely to be secretive.

"Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell commands enormous respect among the ranks of the GOP establishment. So any effort to hasten his exit will doubtlessly be done with a hushed tone, behind closed doors," Gift said.

"That said, like with Senator Diane Feinstein, even those who'd like to see McConnell step down gracefully are steely-eyed about the reality," he said "After decades of clenching power so close to the nerve centers of Washington, it may be difficult to convince McConnell to relax his grip and hand the baton to a successor of the next generation."