Who is Mitch McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao?
ELAINE CHAO is Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's wife who has served as the US Secretary of Transportation.
The Taiwan-born Republican was the first Asian American woman who was ever appointed to the President's Cabinet.
Who is Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao?
Elaine Chao was the 18th US Secretary of Transportation — which is her second Cabinet position.
The 70-year-old was nominated for the position by then-President Donald Trump in November 2016 and took office the following year.
However, on January 7, 2021, Chao resigned from the Trump administration a day after his supporters stormed the Capitol as Congress was certifying President-elect Joe Biden's election win.
"It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the U.S. Department of Transportation," she said in her resignation, which she shared on Twitter.
She also expressed how the riots left her feeling "deeply troubled" in a way that she "simply cannot set aside."
Chao also served in former President George W. Bush's administration as US Secretary of Labor from 2001 to January 2009, making her the first Asian American woman to be appointed to the President’s Cabinet in history.
When did they get married?
McConnell and Chao were first introduced by a mutual friend.
They got married on February 6, 1993, and have since become one of the most powerful couples in the United States.
Chao — who wed McConnell on former President Ronald Reagan's birthday — previously told CBS News: "Before he was [Senate Majority] leader he actually cooked.
"I call him my low-maintenance husband."
Has Mitch McConnell been married before?
Before marrying Chao, Mitch McConnell was married to Sherrill Redmon.
Redmon and McConnell were married from 1968 to 1980.
After their divorce, Redmon became a feminist scholar at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.
She then became the director of the Sophia Smith Collection of the Women's History Archives in 1993.
How many children does Mitch McConnell have?
Redmon and McConnell have three children; Elly McConnell, Porter McConnell, and Claire McConnell.
McConnell and Chao do not share any children together.
In an interview with , Chao said that she sometimes regrets not having children.
She said: "I try not to have too many regrets.
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"But I will say to young women … in my generation, we were taught that we can have it all. It doesn't work like that.
"So, I try to counsel young women, regardless as to whether they want it or not, there are trade-offs and sacrifices in life."