Trump Scraps Kansas and Iowa Rallies Days Before Midterm Elections
Trump canceled weekend rallies in Kansas and Iowa and will hold tele-rallies instead, as Vice President Vance also called off an event before Tuesday's vote.
President Donald Trump has canceled two in-person rallies planned for the final weekend before Tuesday’s midterm elections, one in Salina, Kansas, and one in Dubuque, Iowa, and will instead speak to voters by phone in a series of so-called tele-rallies, according to local officials, the Republican National Committee and multiple news reports. Vice President JD Vance also called off a public appearance scheduled for Friday, leaving a rally in Florida as the president’s last announced in-person campaign stop.
What happened
The Salina event, set for noon on Saturday, Oct. 31, at the city’s regional airport, was called off on Thursday. The Salina Airport Authority said in a statement quoted by KAKE News that “due to the Presidents schedule on Saturday, all Salina events are cancelled.” Danedri Herbert, chair of the Kansas Republican Party, confirmed the cancellation to WIBW and referred further questions to the Republican National Committee (RNC), the party’s national organization.
Hours later, the Sunday rally in Dubuque was also canceled, according to the events manager at the venue, HuffPost reported. Both stops would have been Trump’s second visit to each state this month: he held a rally in Park City, near Wichita, on Oct. 19 and another in Sioux City, Iowa, on Oct. 22.
Vance, meanwhile, canceled a Friday news conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota, that was meant to promote what the administration calls its “War on Fraud,” according to India-based outlet WION. No reason was given for that cancellation.
What the campaign and the president said
Republican officials described the change as a shift in tactics rather than a retreat. In a press release cited by KAKE, the RNC attributed the move to “popular demand and an incredibly busy campaign schedule leading up to Election Day,” said the Salina rally “has been moved to a huge tele-rally,” and said the president “remains committed to helping deliver a Republican victory in Kansas.”
Joe Gruters, chairman of the RNC, said the president would reach voters in 19 states over a 72-hour period, adding that “this 72-hour sprint will be a huge boost in the closing days,” WION reported. The White House said Trump would hold “more than 20 telerallies before Election Day,” according to HuffPost. A tele-rally is a conference call in which supporters listen to the candidate over the phone.
Rob Fillion, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, told WIBW that Trump had canceled all of his Saturday visits nationwide, not only the Kansas trip, and that the phone events would let him reach more people across several states. “The President changes his schedule almost minute by minute,” Fillion said.
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Thursday, Trump said he did not need to travel to Kansas because Sen. Roger Marshall, the state’s Republican incumbent, was in good shape. “I’m not going to Kansas because he’s doing very well,” Trump said, according to HuffPost, adding, “I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas.” KAKE reported that he said he would come to the state “if something else comes up.” HuffPost reported that the president responded angrily to a reporter who asked about the canceled events.
Why it matters
The cancellations come as Republicans defend Senate seats in states that have traditionally favored the party. Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, a Kansas City-area pastor, along with Libertarian David Graham. WIBW described the contest as close, and KAKE, citing the Kansas Reflector, reported that spending on the race has topped $84.5 million, the most of any election in Kansas history. Federal Election Commission records showed Hamilton’s campaign had spent more than $16 million and Marshall’s just over $6 million as of Oct. 14, KAKE reported.
Vance campaigned for Marshall at an event in Topeka on Oct. 26. The Associated Press has reported that Republicans are spending heavily on Senate races in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa amid concerns about voter enthusiasm, according to KAKE.
HuffPost noted that Trump has held dozens of rallies since early October, mostly in Republican-leaning areas, and that recent polls show Democratic challengers remaining competitive in several states, including Iowa, Ohio, Mississippi, Alaska and Kansas.
Other factors in the background
Officials have not linked the schedule changes to any other event. Some outlets, however, have noted that the cancellations coincide with reports about possible military action against Iran. WION, citing The Wall Street Journal, reported that Adm. Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, had briefed officials on a possible resumption of strikes, and that Washington had reportedly told allies to prepare for an operation after the election. Those reports have not been tied to the campaign schedule by the White House or the RNC.
What comes next
Trump is still scheduled to appear in person in Florida on Friday. Republican officials have not said whether the Kansas or Iowa events will be rescheduled before polls open on Tuesday, Nov. 3, when control of both chambers of Congress will be decided.
