Fox News co-host Joe Concha called on Senator Mitch McConnell to either return to work or resign due to his nearly three-month absence from Congress. Concha said that if McConnell does not come back in September, he should step down, and criticized the senator for only providing limited information about his health through emails and photos. McConnell, 84, has been absent since June after being hospitalized for a fall and pneumonia, and has faced calls to be more forthcoming about his health status from Democrats and some of his own Republican allies. Fox News contributor Concha's comments underscore growing frustration with McConnell's prolonged absence.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Mitch McConnell, the 84-year-old Republican Senator from Kentucky, has been absent from Congress for nearly three months, sparking intense media scrutiny over his health and fitness to serve. His office initially offered limited information about his absence, but later revealed that he was hospitalized in mid-June after a fall and developed mild pneumonia. McConnell's prolonged absence has fueled speculation about his well-being, with some questioning whether he is still capable of performing his duties. Joe Concha, a Fox News contributor, has publicly called on McConnell to either return to work or resign if he cannot fulfill his responsibilities. This criticism comes as McConnell prepares for his retirement in 2027, which was previously announced.
Written for “Mitch McConnell Criticism” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
A Fox News co-host urged Senator Mitch McConnell to either return to work or resign, underscoring mounting frustration over the Kentucky Republican’s nearly three-month absence from Congress.
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host → urge → Congress
“If he does not come back in September, he needs to step down,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha said Saturday on The Big Weekend Show.
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Concha → come → Show
“How many months has it been since we even heard from him directly?” he continued.
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he → hear → him
“I don’t want to see, you know, proof of life photos from a hospital bed anymore.
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you → want → bed
He needs to get in front of a microphone and prove that he can do this job.
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he → need → job
And if he can’t he needs to step aside.
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he → need → ?
McConnell, 84, has faced intense media scrutiny over his prolonged absence, stoking speculation about his health and fitness to serve.
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McConnell → face → health
The Kentucky Republican, who is set to retire in 2027, was hospitalized in mid-June, with his office offering only limited information at the time.
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office → set → time
Weeks later, the senator said in an email update that he had been admitted after a fall and developed mild pneumonia, sharing a photo of himself in a hospital bed.
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he → say → bed
Last month, the former Senate majority leader was discharged from a rehabilitation facility and has not yet returned to Capitol Hill.
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leader → discharge → Hill
“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” the senator said in an August 6 statement.
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senator → maintain → statement
McConnell, who has contended with multiple health problems in recent years, has faced repeated calls to be more forthcoming about his health status.
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who → contend → status
In July, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, urged McConnell to “directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.”
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Beshear → urge → capacity
Meanwhile, some of McConnell’s GOP allies have said they spoke with the 84-year-old senator by phone during his hospitalization, while others have said they remain in the dark.
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they → say → dark
“I don’t know anything,” Senator Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, told reporters on August 5 when asked if he had any update on McConnell.
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he → know → McConnell
One month earlier, President Donald Trump said he had “no idea” how the senator was doing.
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senator → say → idea
On Saturday, Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, joined The Big Weekend Show to discuss the senator’s prolonged absence.
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Comer → join → absence
During his interview, he revealed that he had not spoken with McConnell since he was hospitalized.
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he → reveal → McConnell
“I certainly hope to see him in the Senate in the next few weeks,” Comer said.
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Comer → hope → weeks
“And if he’s not, there’ll be a reason why and the Senator will be able [to] explain that to the American people.
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Senator → ’ → people
Afterward, co-host Tomi Lahren voiced skepticism.
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Lahren → voice → skepticism
“I don’t know if that’s quite fair to the American people though that unelected staffers are running the show for Senator Mitch McConnell,” she said.
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she → know → McConnell
“I think you’ve gotta play it fair here.”
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you → think → it
The senator’s absence from the halls of Congress comes as Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the Senate.
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Republicans → come → Senate
The Independent has contacted McConnell’s office for comment.
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Independent → contact → comment
