Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell was humiliated Sunday after he took a brutal fall in the Senate that was captured on video.
12:47 ET, 16 Oct 2025Updated 13:16 ET, 16 Oct 2025
Mitch McConnell suffered a worrying fall(Image: X)
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell was humiliated on Thursday after he took a brutal fall in the Russell basement of the Senate while being questioned by reporters.
A video posted on social media shows the senator, 83, limping and grabbing a security guard’s arm to help him walk. Once he lets go of the man, the Republican lawmaker stumbles and falls to the ground. He is then picked up and is able to walk away, holding onto two guards.
According to reports, McConnell has taken multiple horrifying falls throughout this year. That, coupled with several instances where he seemingly freezes in the middle of a sentence, has sparked questions on the condition of his health.
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“We need term limits. This is sad,” commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson said, posting the video on his X account.
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The video quickly went viral on social media, amassing almost 75,000 views in less than an hour.
Users were quick to comment on McConnell’s fall, with some mocking his repeated health episodes, while others expressed concerns and sympathy for the senator, who is the third-oldest member of the Senate, after Chuck Grassley, 92, and Bernie Sanders, 84.
“It’s painful to watch, not because of politics but because it’s human,” one user wrote under Johnson’s post. “Age comes for everyone, even those who once seemed unshakeable. There’s strength in stepping aside when the moment demands it, but ego rarely listens.”
“I’ve never seen anyone commit elder abuse of themselves,” another posted.
Another group of users called for term limits or aptitude tests for lawmakers across the government, a movement that has become more vocal as the average age of members of Congress increases.
“There should be a basic aptitude test and physical every 2 years for anyone in the office of President/VP, Congress, and the Supreme Court,” one user posted. “Can’t perform if they are unfit.”
It remains unclear why McConnell was limping in the first place. However, this is not the first time has suffered from an embarrassing episode in Congress.
Earlier this year, the senator was seen using a wheelchair following a fall at the Capitol. Reports at the time said McConnell was seen falling down while he was walking down a small set of stairs leaving the Senate chamber. His office said he was “fine.”
“Senator McConnell is fine. The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work,” a McConnell spokesman said in a statement. The 82-year-old had polio as a child.
In 2023, McConnell also had several episodes where he apparently froze for as long as 19 seconds, one time during a news conference at the Capitol and another while he was speaking to reporters in Kentucky. Earlier that year, he was hospitalized and treated for a concussion after he tripped at a Washington hotel following a super PAC event, NBC News reported.
McConnell served as the GOP’s leader in the Senate until January of this year. In February, he also announced he would not seek re-election after his term ends in January 2027, ending his decades-long tenure in the country’s legislative branch.