Trump says he doesn’t know if Mitch McConnell is 'fine', urges him to back SAVE Act

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Monday, July 13, commented publicly on Senate Republican Mitch McConnell's health for the first time since the Kentucky senator disclosed details of his hospitalization, saying he hoped McConnell would recover while again urging support for the stalled SAVE America Act.

Trump paired his remarks about McConnell's condition with renewed criticism of the senator's opposition to the legislation, which remains blocked in the Senate despite clearing the House. The comments came as McConnell continues recovering at a rehabilitation center following a fall and a bout of pneumonia.

Trump comments on Mitch McConnell's recovery, revisits SAVE opposition

Speaking during a phone interview, Trump said he had heard little about McConnell's condition before shifting to the senator's voting record. "I don't hear much. I was never a huge fan," Trump said.

He added that McConnell "should be voting for John Thune, because John Thune was loyal to him," before turning to the Senate's handling of the SAVE America Act.

"Mitch McConnell's like a no vote on Save America Act, that's voter ID, it's proof of citizenship, and it's no mail-in ballots except for the military disabled, sick, or if you're sick, or traveling," Trump said. "But the mail-in ballots might be the most important of those three items. But he's against that. How can anybody be against that?"

Trump concluded by returning to McConnell's health, saying, "I hope he's gonna be fine. I don't know if he's fine. I certainly hope he's gonna be fine."

McConnell recently ended weeks of speculation surrounding his health by revealing he suffered a fall that left him briefly unconscious and later developed a mild case of pneumonia while hospitalized.

"I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke. I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital," McConnell said in a statement. He added that doctors have advised him not to return to the Senate floor "quite yet," though he said he continues working remotely with his staff and Senate colleagues.

Trump keeps SAVE Act at forefront as Senate bill remains stalled

Trump's latest remarks continue a broader effort to rally Republican support for the SAVE Act, legislation that would require proof of US citizenship and voter identification in federal elections while placing new restrictions on mail-in voting. 

Last month, Republican senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Thom Tillis and Mitch McConnell joined Democrats in voting against moving the bill forward.

The president has intensified his public appeals in recent days, including after the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, whom Trump described as a key supporter of the legislation.

According to Trump, Graham spoke about the measure during one of their final conversations. "He wanted to pass the SAVE America Act, and I said, 'We're going to get it done, Lindsey, we're going to get it done,'" Trump recalled.

With Graham's seat now vacant and McConnell sidelined during his recovery, the legislation remains without a clear path forward in the Senate as Republican leaders continue weighing their next steps.