Skip to content

McConnell in wheelchair after fall outside Senate chamber

Fall is the latest in a series of health events that have dogged former GOP Senate leader

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives for the Senate Republicans’ lunch in the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives for the Senate Republicans’ lunch in the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 21. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Sen. Mitch McConnell fell outside the Senate chamber Wednesday, the latest in a series of health scares for the former majority leader.

The 82-year-old Kentucky Republican, who stepped down from leadership at the end of the 118th Congress, was seen using a wheelchair Wednesday afternoon, which his office said was a “precautionary measure.”

“Senator McConnell is fine. The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work,” a McConnell spokesperson said via email.

McConnell, who overcame polio as a child, has been dogged by questions about his age and health in recent years. 

He sustained a minor cut to his face and a sprained wrist after a fall in December, though he was quickly cleared to return to his duties, his office said at the time. In March 2023, McConnell was hospitalized and treated for a concussion after tripping at a party. And he fended off questions about his ability to continue to serve as Republican Senate leader after a series of freezing events later that same year.

According to reports, McConnell fell on a set of stairs after exiting the Senate chamber following a confirmation vote on Scott Turner to be Housing and Urban Development secretary. McConnell reportedly fell a second time on Wednesday in a Senate lunch, though his office did not confirm the later incident.

Recent Stories

Senate passes bill to fund most of Homeland Security Department

Trump intervenes to pay airport security workers amid standoff

Rewritten air safety legislation moves out of House committees

House panel advances bill on temporary US attorneys

Senators worry about ‘historically dangerous’ strategic threats

Takeaways from Cabinet meeting: Trump issues new threats to Iran, Democrats