“He is in good spirits,” the spokesperson said, adding that the 83-year-old “went to the polls and was ready to vote again.”
Outgoing Republican leader Mitch McConnell is “fine” after falling in Washington, D.C.
Republican senators said Sen. Mitch McConnell fell during the Republican Party’s weekly lunch on Tuesday but is fine.
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WASHINGTON – On Thursday, October 16, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tripped and fell while confronting protesters in the basement of the Senate Office Building.
Video of the incident shows an activist named Stella challenging the 83-year-old Republican lawmaker over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
“Do you support ICE taking workers off the streets and kidnapping them?” a protester asked as he approached McConnell, walking within inches.
The former Senate majority leader turned the corner of his desk and fell onto his side, catching himself with one arm. He grabbed a man who was standing next to him and, along with a Capitol Police officer, helped him retreat. Mr. McConnell turned, waved, and appeared to smile.
McConnell’s press secretary, Stephanie Penn, told USA TODAY that the senator was safe after the incident.
“He’s fine,” she said Thursday afternoon. He was “ready to go to the vote and vote again at 1:30 to determine whether Democrats will fund our nation’s defense priorities.”
The Senate was scheduled to consider a measure to bring forward the year-round defense spending bill despite the ongoing government shutdown.
The activists who approached McConnell belonged to the Sunrise Movement, a progressive group often seen around the Capitol to advocate for halting the effects of climate change.
In a statement to USA TODAY, the group criticized McConnell’s age and did not apologize.
“Mitch McConnell was unable to answer even simple questions without falling over, and this is certainly not the first time he has failed to answer young people,” said Al Shiny Adjei, executive director of Sunrise Movement. “Both parties are run by apathetic octogenarians who have been in politics longer than any of us have been alive. Their incompetence and need to cling to power is not just embarrassing, it’s costly, and the American people are paying the price.”
U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The press office is closed due to the shutdown, but an automated email said the press office would be activated in the event of a “serious incident.”
McConnell has suffered a number of health problems on the job in recent years. He fell twice in February, left the Capitol building in a wheelchair, and was repeatedly left speechless and frozen in front of reporters.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
