Rep. Sarah McBride Refutes Far-Right Reporter's Claim She 'Slammed' Door in His Face on Capitol Hill
Key Takeaways
- •Far-right reporter Charles R. Downs posted a video on X on July 22 claiming Rep. Sarah McBride slammed an elevator door in his face while he tried to question her about ICE.
- •McBride debunked the claim by responding on X that elevator doors are automatic and cannot be slammed shut manually.
- •Downs used transphobic slurs in his video and attributed the alleged door-slamming incident to hormones.
- •Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. Congress after winning Delaware's at-large House seat in 2024.
- •The confrontation reflects a broader trend of ideological media figures staking out Capitol Hill to confront lawmakers and sharing the recordings on social media.
In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, July 22, far-right reporter Charles R. Downs accused Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Delaware) of slamming a door in his face while he attempted to interview her regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The transgender congresswoman swiftly debunked that assertion in a response posted on X the same afternoon.
Reporting from Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Downs stated that he sought to "question elected Democrats over their statements calling ICE murderers in the wake of the anti-ICE terrorist attack in New York the other day."
Many Democrats in Congress have been highly critical of recent killings by ICE officers. ICE has also drawn criticism from Never Trump conservatives, including MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, The Bulwark's Bill Kristol, and The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson. Downs, known for promoting far-right MAGA conspiracy theories, has been an outspoken defender of the agency.
In his video, Downs insulted McBride for being transgender, stating that he "questioned everyone's favorite tranny" on Capitol Hill before adding, "Well, no one really likes trannies."
"That person slammed the elevator door in my face," Downs told viewers, adding, "Must be the hormones."
McBride responded by explaining why it would have been physically impossible for her to slam the door Downs referenced. The Delaware congresswoman tweeted: "They're elevator doors and they're automatic." She also critiqued Downs' reporting style, posting: "Also, when you ask questions, don't mumble so members can actually understand the words you are saying."
The exchange is part of a broader pattern of confrontation between lawmakers and independent or ideological media figures who stake out Capitol Hill hallways and elevators to press members of Congress with pointed questions. These encounters, sometimes recorded and circulated on social media, have become a regular feature of the contemporary congressional press environment.
In his original tweet, Downs wrote: "Congressional Democrats refusing to apologize for their rhetoric as ICE agents are under attack proves Dems are too immature to control Congress." (https://x.com/TheCharlesDowns/status/2079958981796086015)
McBride's response can be viewed here: (https://x.com/SarahEMcBride/status/2079975698286997574)
The 35-year-old McBride was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2024 via an at-large district in Delaware — the northeastern state that former President Joe Biden represented in the U.S. Senate for decades. She is the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. Congress. Prior to her congressional election, McBride served in the Delaware State Senate from 2020 to 2025.
