Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accused Elaine Chao, the wife of Sen. Mitch McConnell, of being “likely a Chinese spy” after the former secretary of labor traveled to China while her husband remained hospitalized following a recent cardiac arrest.
Greene also referred to the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican as the “nearly dead senator,” escalating her criticism of the lack of public information about McConnell’s condition.
Mitch McConnell hospitalized during Elaine Chao’s China trip
McConnell was reportedly found unconscious at his home after a suspected cardiac arrest on June 14 and has remained hospitalized since then. His aides have not publicly disclosed further details about his condition.
Chao, meanwhile, departed for China two days before her husband was hospitalized. A spokesperson said the visit was planned well in advance and was intended to support her family’s philanthropic work. “The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family’s philanthropic endeavors,” the spokesperson said. “During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the U.S. ambassador.”
Chao’s spokesperson added that “the senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene targets Elaine Chao over China trip
In a post on X on Tuesday, July 7, Greene accused Chao, who was born in Taiwan to Chinese parents, of potentially being a Chinese spy. “Elaine Chao, who is likely a Chinese spy married to Mitch McConnell, has been in China almost the entire time the nearly dead Senator has been in the hospital. And she met with China’s VP,” Greene wrote. “Now that she’s back, they are running a PR campaign. Sure totally normal.”
Elaine Chao, who is likely a Chinese spy married to Mitch McConnell, has been in China almost the entire time the nearly dead Senator has been in the hospital. And she met with China’s VP.
Now that she’s back, they are running a PR campaign.
Sure totally normal.🙄 https://t.co/tPWuYBMISg— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) July 7, 2026
Questions raised over why people are claiming to have spoken with Mitch McConnell only after Elaine Chao’s return
Greene also amplified a post by journalist Desirée Townsend, who questioned why several people claimed to have spoken with McConnell only after Chao returned to the U.S.
“This is the problem, no one has spoken to [McConnell] for weeks. But the moment Elaine Chao touches down in the United States, less than 48 hours ago, now all of a sudden, we have multiple canned messages with everyone saying they spoke with him each for 20 minutes?! If he is conscious and capable of having these conversations, then he can call in and talk to a news network. But someone is declining these request,” Townsend wrote.
This is the problem, no one has spoken to him for weeks. But the moment Elaine Chao touches down in the United States, less than 48 hours ago, now all of a sudden, we have multiple canned messages with everyone saying they spoke with him each for 20 minutes?! If he is conscious… https://t.co/qmF2Tv6YwQ
— Desirée Townsend (@Cheering4Change) July 7, 2026
CNN commentator Scott Jennings, a longtime friend of McConnell, said on Tuesday, July 7, that the senator had called him that morning and that the pair spoke for nearly 20 minutes. “I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky,” Jennings wrote in a post on X. “He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes…about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible.”
Donald Trump’s racial attacks on Elaine Chao
Greene’s comments echoed years of criticism directed at Chao by President Donald Trump after his first term. Chao served as transportation secretary under former President George W. Bush and as labor secretary during Trump’s first term. Following the 2022 midterm elections, Trump blamed McConnell for Republicans’ failure to retake the Senate and launched a Truth Social attack on the senator, with a drive-by at his wife. “Everyone despises him and his otherwise lovely wife, Coco Chow!” Trump wrote. His repeated use of anti-Asian slurs against Chao invited broad condemnation and made headlines at the time.