Mitch McConnell trips and falls while being confronted by protester

WASHINGTON – Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, tripped and fell on Thursday, Oct. 16 while being confronted by a protester in the basement of a Senate office building.

Videos of the incident show an activist, who identified herself as Stella, challenging the 83-year-old GOP lawmaker over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

“Do you support ICE taking working people off the street and kidnapping them?” the protester asked while approaching McConnell and walking within inches of him.

As the former Senate majority leader rounded the corner of a desk, he fell on his side, catching himself with one arm. He grabbed a man standing next to him, who along with a Capitol Police officer helped him back up. McConnell then turned and waved, appearing to smile.

McConnell’s press secretary, Stephanie Penn, told USA TODAY the senator was OK after the incident.

“He’s all good,” she said Thursday afternoon. He “went on to vote and (was) ready to vote again at 1:30, to see if Dems decide to fund our nation’s defense priorities or not.”

The Senate was scheduled to consider a measure to advance a full-year defense appropriations bill, despite the ongoing government shutdown.

The activists who approached McConnell were with the Sunrise Movement, a progressive group often seen around the U.S. Capitol to advocate to stop the effects of climate change.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the group criticized McConnell’s age and did not offer an apology.

“Mitch McConnell couldn’t even answer a simple question without falling down, and it’s certainly not the first time he hasn’t been able to answer young people,” said Aru Shiney-Ajay, the executive director of the Sunrise Movement. “Both parties are run by out-of-touch octogenarians who have been in politics for longer than we’ve been alive. Their incompetence and need to cling to power aren’t just embarrassing; they’re costly, and the American people are paying the price.”

U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The public information office is closed due to the shutdown, though an automated email said it would activate in the event of “critical incidents.”

McConnell has suffered a number of health scares on the job in recent years. He fell twice in February, leaving the Capitol in a wheelchair, and has nonverbally frozen multiple times in front of reporters.

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermeleusatoday.com. Follow him on X at ZachSchermele and Bluesky at zachschermele.bsky.social.