Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s team has provided an update after he fell down the stairs at the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, prompting new concerns about his health.
“Senator McConnell is fine. The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work,” a spokesperson for McConnell told The New York Post.
According to several reports, McConnell slipped down a short flight of stairs as he was leaving the Senate chamber following his vote to confirm Scott Turner, President Trump’s choice to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), two colleagues, helped the seven-term senator up right away, allowing him to leave without assistance.
Fox News correspondent Chad Pergram broke the news on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Fox confirms. McConnell falls down Senate stairs after voting to confirm Scott Turner as HUD Secretary. Unclear about injuries. But Fox is told he appears to be ok. McConnell was helped up by Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK),” Pergram tweeted.
Later Wednesday, McConnell fell a second time during a GOP lunch, according to CNN.
Several on social media last month called on McConnell to step down after he was photographed looking weak after he hurt himself the day before by falling again.
The 82-year-old leader of the Senate Republicans has had several health problems over the years, including several falls, one of which led to a concussion.
When the Republican fell, it shocked everyone in the Capitol. The press rushed to his office to see the leader and make sure he was okay. An image of McConnell went viral online after his fall, as someone can be seen pushing the top Republican in a wheelchair.
McConnell’s spokesperson provided an update after the Kentucky Republican fell late last year.
“Leader McConnell tripped following lunch. He sustained a minor cut to the face and sprained his wrist. He has been cleared to resume his schedule,” a McConnell spokesman said.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), who will succeed McConnell as Senate GOP leader in January, told reporters following the weekly Senate GOP policy luncheon that McConnell is “fine” and “in his office.” He referred any questions about McConnell to the senator’s staff.
Medical staff with a wheelchair were reportedly called to assist the senator after his fall. Republican Sen. John Barrasso, the incoming whip, told the Daily Mail that McConnell “is fine.”
McConnell, who was examined by a medical team, “has been cleared to resume his schedule,” his office said.
The outgoing Senate Republican leader has had several health scares in recent years.
Last year, McConnell revealed that he’s “not leaving the Senate” and that he’s focused on combating the Republican Party’s “isolationist movement,” which some viewed as a shot at President-elect Donald Trump and his incoming team.
During an interview with WHAS radio host Terry Meiners, McConnell vowed to use his remaining time in the Senate to hit back against GOP colleagues who aim to rein in U.S. support for foreign allies such as Israel and Ukraine.
Despite his plans to step down as party leader, McConnell said, “I’m not leaving the Senate.” He added, “I’m particularly involved in actually fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party and so many others as well.”
McConnell mentioned Ukraine’s fight against Russia, a cause to which the US has allocated tens of billions of dollars.
“The symbol, lately, is ‘are we gonna help Ukraine or not?’ And I think it’s extremely important that we do that,” McConnell said.
McConnell revealed last February his decision to relinquish his role as Senate Republican leader come November.
The Kentuckian stated his intention to fulfill his term, concluding in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.”
