Mitch McConnell appears 'uninjured' after falling in Senate hallway

On Thursday afternoon, October 16, ABC News and others reported that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), now 83, "fell to the ground" in a hallway "as he made his way to Senate votes."

McConnell's fall was also reported by Newsweek's Amanda Castro.

According to Castro, "Senate Republican Mitch McConnell stumbled and fell in the Russell Senate Office Building basement Thursday after a reporter pressed him on whether he supports ICE 'kidnapping' working people off the streets. The exchange ended with McConnell, 83, waving to the cameras and appearing uninjured."

Video of McConnell's fall was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Trending Politics' Collin Rugg, who posted, "JUST IN: Republican Senator Mitch McConnell trips and falls to the ground in the Russell basement as a reporter asked him a question about ICE. Reporter: 'Do you support ICE taking working people off the streets and kidnapping them?' McConnell was helped up and appeared to be okay. He was seen waving to the camera. Video: @ErikRosalesNews."

McConnell, first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984, served as both Senate majority leader and Senate minority leader in the past. But after many years leading the GOP in the chamber, McConnell announced that he was resigning from that position in 2024. And Sen. John Thune (R-South Dakota) was sworn in as Senate majority leader after the Senate's current GOP majority was seated in January 2025.

Despite stepping down as the Senate's top Republican, McConnell plans to serve out the rest of his term.