The photo shows why Nancy Pelosi fell down a marble staircase during her trip to Europe
Congressman Mike McCaul revealed that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s stilettos were likely responsible for her fall in Europe, which resulted in hip replacement surgery.
The Texas lawmaker was with the 84-year-old California Democrat during the European trip when she took a nasty fall.
‘I was sitting right next to her. She likes to wear high heels, really high,” McCaul recalls.
“She stood on one of her last steps on these marble steps. “There was no railing and she lost her balance and fell to the ground,” he said.
McCaul told how he helped pick her up shortly after the fall, and they took a photo together.
“You could see me holding her hand, and very quickly after that a vehicle showed up and she was taken to the hospital,” he said.
Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) noted that former Speaker Pelosi wore “very high” heels when she fell in Europe last Friday. He said that despite the operation, the 84-year-old is “doing well”
An image shared by the U.S. Embassy in Luxembourg showed the bipartisan congressional delegation standing on the steps.
Pelosi, 84, stood at the end of the front row, holding McCaul’s hand in what appeared to be a death grip.
In the image, she wore a pair of sky-high heels, similar to the ones she is famous for, as she regularly made her way through the US Capitol in Washington.
Pelosi’s spokesperson released a statement over the weekend saying she had undergone successful hip replacement surgery and thanked medical professionals in both Germany and Luxembourg.
McCaul noted that Pelosi is “doing well” and wished her a speedy recovery.
Rep. McCaul said Tuesday that he spoke by phone with Pelosi, who is recovering in Germany, and that she is in “good spirits”
The group of lawmakers met with the Grand Duke on Friday before Pelosi was rushed to hospital. Here she is seen holding the hand of Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas
Pelosi and other lawmakers were in Luxembourg with a bipartisan congressional delegation to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge when it fell on Friday.
She was treated at Kirchberg Hospital in Luxembourg before being transported to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at the Landstuhl US Army Base in Germany, where she underwent surgery.
McCaul said he spoke to her on the phone and that she “had a lot of energy.” He described her as “very feisty” and said she “wants to get out of there.”
It is not yet clear when Pelosi will be able to travel back to the US from Germany.
“Overall, she’s in good spirits, and there’s no more threat to her health than, you know, a hip replacement,” McCaul said.
When the image of Pelosi standing in heels after her fall gained attention online, her spokesperson weighed in on X.
“In every way, she is the strongest person I know. Best thing ever to do it,” Ian Krager wrote in a post.
Her spokesman Ian Krager has since described Pelosi as “on the mend” after the procedure in Germany
The visit to Luxembourg, hosted by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was announced to commemorate the deadly battle with a bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers.
Pelosi had to cancel the rest of her obligations on the congressional delegation’s trip because of the fall.
Her incident comes days after outgoing Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, fell during a Senate lunch this week. He suffered a sprained wrist and an abrasion on his face.
Pelosi just successfully ran for re-election in California and has indicated she plans to run again in 2026.
Although she stepped down from an official Democratic leadership position in 2022, she still has a lot of power.
For years, Pelosi has been seen strolling the halls of Congress answering questions while wearing noticeably high heels.
Pelosi walked out to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August
Pelosi’s four-inch heels she wore in 2018 during eight hours of filibustering on the House floor
Pelosi shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in war-torn Ukraine in 2022
In 2018, at age 77, Pelosi stood on the floor of the House of Representatives in four-inch heels for a record eight hours as minority leader as she filibustered in defense of the so-called Dreamers.
In fact, she was hot on her heels as she headed to war-torn Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kiev in March 2022.