The Daily Populous Saturday July 11st, 2026 evening edition
Authored by usatoday.com and submitted by CharlieKonR

July 10, 2026, 12:28 p.m. ET

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao returned to the United States from China this week after her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, was hospitalized on June 14.

Chao's travel during McConnell's hospitalization fueled unfounded conspiracy theories online.

"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 headed the Transportation Department during President Donald Trump's first term and served as Labor secretary under President George W. Bush, has been married to McConnell for decades. Days after he was hospitalized, on June 17, the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, released a photograph of Chao seated beside Chinese Vice President Han Zheng before a grand painting of the Great Wall in Beijing.

Chao's staff did not indicate whether she'd been in contact with McConnell since returning home, according to the CBS affiliate WLKY in Louisville. She left for the trip to China on June 12, just two days before McConnell was hospitalized, according to the outlet.

Also amid the swirling news cycle, the Kentucky senator's youngest daughter, Porter McConnell, deleted her social media account on X, according to the Independent.

lactose_cow on July 11st, 2026 at 00:28 UTC »

its serious enough for him to not work for 3+ weeks, not serious enough to warrant his wife visiting him. wtf?

sucobe on July 11st, 2026 at 00:12 UTC »

“The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the US”

Of course not, he was dead by that point.

“Did not indicate whether she’d been in contact with HER HUSBAND since returning home.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

Drab_Emordnilap on July 11st, 2026 at 00:01 UTC »

"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."

Well sure, it's not like he was getting any better if she came back sooner.