GOP Senate leader McConnell reportedly falls during lunch

Emergency responders treated Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R- Ky., on Tuesday afternoon after the senator slipped and fell during a GOP luncheon, a spokesperson for the senator told media outlets including The Hill and CNN. Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who hosted the lunch, was seen escorting the 82-year-old back to his Capitol Hill office, according to reporting by The Hill. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. later held a GOP Senate leadership press conference in McConnell’s stead and said the majority leader was doing fine and in his office at the time of the conference.

Didn’t McConnell say he planned to retire this year? McConnell said in February that he planned to step down from his role as Senate minority leader but continue representing Kentucky in the upper chamber until his term expires in 2027. McConnell has suffered several public health incidents in the past, including a fall at an event in March 2023. He faced increasing pressure to resign after freezing up while speaking publicly at two different events last year. He made history as the longest-serving Senate leader. Thune was elected the new Senate Majority leader last month but will not assume office until the new Congress is sworn in, in January. Thune is currently the Senate GOP Whip.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about growing public concern about elderly politicians.