Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 30

Chad Pergram Recalls 2019 Capitol Fall Before Justin Trudeau While Chasing 1 Baseball Question

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 30

Chad Pergram Recalls 2019 Capitol Fall Before Justin Trudeau While Chasing 1 Baseball Question

Q: Why was Chad Pergram sprinting after Justin Trudeau about baseball, and what kept the Capitol stumble from becoming serious?

Chad Pergram was sprinting after Justin Trudeau because he wanted to ask about a baseball story with Canadian significance: reports that the Tampa Bay Rays might split part of their season with Montreal, potentially reviving Major League Baseball in Quebec. Pergram, a baseball fan, knew Trudeau had roots as an Expos supporter and believed any comment from the Canadian prime minister would be widely newsworthy. The stumble did not become serious because Pergram said he likely caught the lip of a Capitol step with his shoe while moving quickly and tired, but he managed the fall in a way that limited injury. He said he rolled onto his shoulder instead of trying to break the fall with his hand or wrist, then got back up immediately. Pergram later said several factors may have contributed: the small lip on the marble staircase, his pace, his fatigue, and possibly his footwear. He also joked about speculation that a Capitol ghost had tripped him. What most clearly kept the fall from turning worse, by his own account, was experience. Pergram said his martial arts training, including a second-degree black belt, taught him how to fall safely. That training helped him absorb the impact without serious harm, and he later said he was physically fine.

Q: Did a rushed Capitol press chase, slippery step design, or simple fatigue cause Chad Pergram’s 2019 fall?

There is no firm evidence that one single factor caused Chad Pergram’s 2019 fall; by his own account, it was most likely a mix of rushing, the step’s lip, and fatigue. Pergram said he was hurrying down the Capitol steps to try to ask then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a question about baseball as Trudeau left a meeting on Capitol Hill. In that fast-moving press moment, Pergram said he may have caught the edge of his brown loafers on a small lip in the staircase near the Capitol’s Memorial Door. He also said he was tired that day and acknowledged that his pace may have contributed. He did not report feeling anything strike his shin or ankle, which undercuts theories that someone or something physically tripped him. He later joked about ghost speculation tied to Capitol lore, but presented that as humor, not a serious explanation. The available reporting therefore points to an accidental fall rather than any confirmed design defect or external interference. The strongest explanation is that Pergram, moving quickly while fatigued, likely clipped the lip of a marble step and lost his footing. Pergram said he rolled onto his shoulder, got up quickly, and was not seriously hurt. He credited years of martial arts training with helping him fall safely.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 30

June 6, 2019 is the date Fox reporter Chad Pergram says he tripped on Capitol stairs directly in front of then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while trying to ask about baseball.
1 unanswered question drove the stumble: Pergram was hurrying to ask whether Trudeau had views on reports the Tampa Bay Rays might split seasons between Florida and Montreal.
Pergram said he likely caught the lip of a small staircase near the Memorial Door, then rolled onto his right shoulder to avoid injury and quickly got back up.
The anecdote ends with Pergram joking that a Capitol ghost may have been responsible, tying his fall to a long-circulating legend about the 1890 shooting of former Rep. William Taulbee.

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Fox News1h ago

Reporter Chad Pergram Falls Before Justin Trudeau at U.S. Capitol

Why was Chad Pergram sprinting after Justin Trudeau about baseball, and what kept the Capitol stumble from becoming serious?

Did a rushed Capitol press chase, slippery step design, or simple fatigue cause Chad Pergram’s 2019 fall?

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1 total

Fox News1h ago

Reporter Chad Pergram Falls Before Justin Trudeau at U.S. Capitol

Chad Pergram Recalls 2019 Capitol Fall Before Justin Trudeau While Chasing 1 Baseball Question

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