PHONING IT IN

Trump Adds Fuel to Mitch McConnell Health Rumors

The president was asked about a photo shared by the Kentucky senator after weeks of speculation.

Donald Trump said Monday that he doesn’t know if Mitch McConnell “is fine” as questions linger about the senator’s health.

Trump, 80, shared his thoughts on the 84-year-old Kentucky lawmaker’s condition in a Newsmax interview that did little to dispel doubts about McConnell, who was rushed to the hospital from his Washington, D.C. home nearly a month ago.

Over the weekend, the former Senate leader shared a photo of himself with his wife, and said in a statement that, contrary to reports, he did not suffer a heart attack or a stroke, but had fallen and was “briefly unconscious.” McConnell also had to deal with a “mild case of pneumonia,” he said.

When asked by host Greg Kelly what he thought of McConnell’s “outlook,” and if he had been hearing anything, Trump replied, “Well, I don’t hear much. I was, uh, never a huge fan.”

After talking about legislation that McConnell doesn’t support, like the Save America Act, Trump added, “I hope he’s going to be fine. I—I don’t know if he’s fine, but I certainly hope he’s going to be fine."

Despite McConnell’s “proof of life” photograph, in which he is holding up Sunday’s sports section of The Washington Post, some on the right have mocked the senator’s long-awaited reemergence.

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On top of that, colleague Ron Johnson of Wisconsin went on Real America’s Voice on Monday to say that he heard from a “source” that the photo McConnell shared was an “older” one.

“I just heard from some—some other source that was an older photo, so I really don’t know,” Johnson, 71, told Eric Bolling, who had asked if he believes McConnell shared the photo and statement himself.

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“I haven’t talked to Mitch,” he added. “I sincerely wish his family well. I hope he can recover... Listen—it’s sad to watch people age, no matter who that person is.”

For weeks, McConnell’s office declined to provide details when asked by reporters about his condition. The senator’s chief of staff is Terry Carmack, who has worked for McConnell since 2010 and who is set to make $226,000 this year.

McConnell’s office did not immediately respond to a Daily Beast inquiry about the last time Trump and McConnell spoke.

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