'A bizarre thing to do': Eyebrows rise after Mitch McConnell's wife took unexpected trip

As Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) continues to recover in the hospital from an undisclosed health issue, his wife has made at least one trip that surprised political analysts.

Elaine Chao, Trump's former Transportation Secretary, who has been married to McConnell for more than 33 years, reportedly traveled on June 12 to an event over 7,500 miles from her husband at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. Chao, who received an honorary degree from the university in 2013, was "invited back for its 130th anniversary alongside Chinese Communist Party members and other dignitaries," according to The Daily Beast. Two days later, her husband was found unconscious in their home.

Other reports indicated that Chao's trip aimed to strengthen ties between the U.S. and China, raising further questions about it.

Tim Miller, host of "The Next Level" podcast, said during a recent episode that Chao's travel was "a bizarre thing to do."

"People should not be doing rogue diplomacy with China," Miller said. "But it's particularly bizarre to do it ... after your husband was in the hospital."

Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, seemed taken aback by Chao's travel during the episode as well.

"That is weird," she said. "I don't have any speculation on this other than, 'Yes, it's very strange.' I don't know these people's relationship, but one would assume that if your spouse was found unconscious, two days later you're not hopping on a plane to go transatlantic."