PoliticsThe View's Ana Navarro Calls Mitch McConnell Going Back to Work 'Elder Abuse'
Ana Navarro has repeatedly voiced concern about aging lawmakers.
Sept. 21 2026, Published 8:38 a.m. ET
Ana Navarro voiced serious concern about Mitch McConnell’s health after his return to Capitol Hill, describing the situation as “elder abuse.”
Ana Navarro Condemns Mitch McConnell’s Return
Mitch McConnell’s current Senate term ends in January 2027.
During the Friday, September 18, episode of The View, the panel discussed footage from a Senate committee hearing that appeared to show the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican struggling to cast his vote. His colleagues seemingly corrected him so that he would vote alongside other Republicans.
Navarro Points to Repeated Health Scares
McConnell’s return gave Republicans a crucial vote in the Senate.
Navarro said the incident was part of a troubling pattern.
She noted that viewers have repeatedly seen McConnell freeze in public and have read reports about his falls, injuries and hospitalizations.
“And then you look at these images of him being wheeled from his house into the Senate, it’s elder abuse!” Navarro declared.
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Mitch McConnell’s Return Renews Retirement Debate
The Kentucky senator spent several weeks in a rehabilitation facility.
Her co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin also questioned whether lawmakers should remain in office for the rest of their lives. When Joy Behar asked why McConnell did not retire early, Sara Haines argued that Republicans still needed his vote.
Haines blamed what she called “tribal partisanship” and questioned whether the people close to McConnell were treating him with sufficient humanity and dignity.
The Senator Admits He Is Not Fully Recovered
The longtime senator has represented Kentucky since 1985.
McConnell returned to the Senate on Monday, September 14, after a three-month absence. He suffered a fall at his Washington, D.C., home in June and later revealed that he had briefly lost consciousness. Doctors also treated him for mild pneumonia.
The senator subsequently spent time at a rehabilitation facility before he continued his recovery at home.
McConnell acknowledged that he was “not quite back to 100 percent,” but said it was time to resume work and finish the current congressional session. He identified the farm bill, support for NATO and efforts to counter Russian aggression as priorities.
The former Senate Republican leader has also said that the lingering effects of childhood polio complicated his recovery. He continues to receive physical therapy and may miss some votes.
McConnell, who has represented Kentucky in the Senate since January 1985, is not seeking another term. His current term ends in January 2027.
