Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao returned to the United States from China this week after her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, was hospitalized on June 14.

Chao's travel during McConnell's hospitalization fueled unfounded conspiracy theories online.

More: McConnell's health raises questions amid hospitalization. What we know

"The secretary was on a long-planned trip in China to support her family's philanthropic endeavors," a spokesperson for Chao said in a statement to The Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. "During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the U.S. ambassador. The senator's health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S."

U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chair Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on May 19, 2026.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is helped up steps as he enters the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on Feb. 2, 2026. McConnell checked himself into a hospital on Monday, Feb. 2, "after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend," a spokesperson for the Kentucky Republican told USA TODAY. McConnell, 83, the seven-term Senator from Kentucky who served 18 years as the Republican leader, announced last year that he will not seek reelection and will retire after his current term.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 6, 2024 in Washington, DC. McConnell, who has served as a Senator from Kentucky since 1985 and is the longest serving senator in his state's history, spoke about the Republican Party taking the Senate majority and his plans for the upcoming congress.

Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate Mitch McConnell speaks during the 60th annual Kentucky State Fair Ham Auction Thursday morning, Aug. 22, 2024.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives for a news conference following a Senate Republican party policy luncheon on Capitol Hill on Sept. 17, 2024 in Washington, DC. Republican Senate leadership spoke to reporters on a range of topics including a defense appropriations bill, In vitro fertilization (IVF) and Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' policies on the U.S. border and inflation.

U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chair Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on May 19, 2026.

Chao, who headed the Transportation Department during President Donald Trump's first term and served as Labor secretary under President George W. Bush, has been married to McConnell for decades. Days after he was hospitalized, on June 17, the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, released a photograph of Chao seated beside Chinese Vice President Han Zheng before a grand painting of the Great Wall in Beijing.

Chao's staff did not indicate whether she'd been in contact with McConnell since returning home, according to the CBS affiliate WLKY in Louisville. She left for the trip to China on June 12, just two days before McConnell was hospitalized, according to the outlet.

Also amid the swirling news cycle, the Kentucky senator's youngest daughter, Porter McConnell, deleted her social media account on X, according to the Independent.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elaine Chao, wife of Mitch McConnell, issues statement after US return