McConnell Returns to Capitol After 92 Days as Questions About His Health Persist

Evan Vucci/Reuters Mitch McConnell was spotted with a large, concerning bruise on his hand in the 84-year-old senator’s first public appearance in 92 days.

There has been rampant speculation about the health of the Kentucky Republican, who had disappeared from view since being hospitalized in mid-June after apparently losing consciousness following a fall.

On Monday, McConnell was wheeled into the Capitol from his D.C. home, where he had been recovering after his discharge from hospital, and told reporters it was time to “finish the job.” McConnell looked particularly frail and thin in his first public appearance in weeks , with his speech reported to be “slower” than it once was.

He was also seen with a dark bruise covering most of his left hand, an ailment that drew comparisons to the mysterious bruises that frequently appear on President Donald Trump’s hands.

Conspiracy theories about McConnell, including claims that he’d actually died, were allowed to run wild as the senator’s office spent weeks not disclosing any meaningful details about why he was hospitalized or what treatment he was receiving.

The dark bruise on McConnell’s hand, as well as a bandage on his right wrist, prompted further speculation about McConnell’s recovery.

“The left hand.

Badly bruised, multiple and layered.

IVs that run concurrently with replacement required every 72 hours, and heprin push to keep the IV open stands out as the red flag it is,” one X user who claims to be a former medical professional wrote.

Trump has also spent more than 18 months appearing in public with mysterious dark bruises on his hands, which the 80-year-old president has often tried to hide with blotches of miscolored makeup.

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt repeatedly insisted the unsightly bruises are simply the result of Trump “meeting more Americans and shaking more hands on a daily basis than any other president in history,” combined with his daily aspirin use.

However, the White House’s desperate defense does not explain how Trump has also developed bruises on his left hand , which he does not use to shake hands.

Social media users noted the worrying bruise on McConnell after his return to Capitol Hill and compared it to Trump’s mysterious ailment.

“I see Mitch McConnell has been shaking hands with so many people it has turned them black,” one X user wrote while sharing an image of McConnell and his bruised hand.