In yet another worrisome and embarrassing incident of the sort that many point to when arguing that America needs term limits, or at least age limits, for its legislators, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) fell over while walking in the hallway of a Senate office building alongside members of his staff.
For reference, the incident, which occurred around midday on Thursday, October 16, took place as Sen. McConnell aking questions from activists in the Russell Senate Office Building. The activists, who were members of the Sunrise Movement, were pressing him on the matter of ICE deportations when he fell, asking, “Do you support ICE taking working people off the streets and kidnapping them?”
When trying to answer, 83-year-old Sen. McConnell, who first leaned on the arm of an aide to try to steady himself, toppled over and crashed to the floor. He was helped off the ground and hobbled away with the help of his aides, and then waved at the camera as he managed to walk away from the activists, who caught the whole thing on camera.
As could be expected, the incident quickly went viral on X. For example, conservative X personality Eric Daugherty posted the clip and captioned it by saying, “🚨 BREAKING: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) just suffered a FALL in Washington Not a fun sight. He’s 83. Glad he’s retiring.”
Commenting on Daugherty’s post, many commenters called for age limits. One such poster said, “Absolutely, the age limit issue is a perfect example of why Congress/Senate members will never vote for term limits on themselves—it’s self-preservation at its finest. That’s precisely why this needs to be a ballot issue for all states, but it’s baffling that no one is pushing it harder. 🤔”
Others commented on McConnell’s legacy, noting that he had let himself stay in Congress for too long and let his legacy be destroyed by his hatred of Trump. One such poster said, “Sad. Dude used to be a warrior; not the GOAT or anything but he basically secured a SCOTUS seat for the right. TDS and old age has ruined his legacy. Deserved to go out on a much higher note than this.”
Watch the fall here:
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This is not even McConnell’s first fall this year. Back in February of 2025, the then-82-year-old senator tumbled down a set of marble steps in the Capitol. Similarly, back in December of 2024, he fell while attending a lunch in an incident that left him in a wheelchair, being pushed around by members of his staff. Reporting on that incident at the time, we at the American Tribune reported:
The latest fall has sparked renewed concerns about McConnell’s health after he has sustained several other falls recently. McConnell fell in December while attending a Senate lunch, after which medical staff with a wheelchair after the fall which led to a sprained wrist. Witnesses claim the senator also walked away with a cut on his face after the incident.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video