WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump’s last two scheduled rallies to boost embattled Republican candidates in Kansas and Iowa have been canceled, leaving Friday’s planned visit to Florida as his final midterm event.
An employee at the airport hangar in Salina, Kansas, confirmed the cancellation Thursday, just two days after the Republican National Committee had announced it as the location. Hours later, the events manager for Sunday’s rally in Dubuque, Iowa, said one had been canceled as well.
Trump, after returning from his second rally in as many weeks in South Carolina to help his hand-picked nominee, said Thursday that he didn’t need to go to Kansas because the incumbent Republican senator there, Roger Marshall, is now in great shape.
“I’m not going to Kansas because he’s doing very well. We’re going to do a tele-rally,” he said, referring to a conference call he makes with activists gathered to hear him on a speakerphone. “I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas.”
At the time of his question-and-answer session at Joint Base Andrews ― in which he blew up at the reporter asking about the canceled event and insulted his appearance ― the Iowa rally was still on.
The White House press office released the following statement: “President Trump will continue connecting directly with Americans nationwide through more than 20 telerallies before Election Day. These events give him the opportunity to highlight his accomplishments and expand his reach across the country.”
Trump has been staging dozens of rallies, almost all of them in Republican areas of Republican-controlled states, since the start of the month. Public polls, however, suggest his visits are not having the intended effect, as Democratic challengers remain unexpectedly competitive in states like Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio, Alaska and Kansas.
Trump had already held a rally in Wichita on Oct. 19. Saturday would have been his second in Kansas. Similarly, he held a rally in Sioux City on Oct. 22, and Sunday would have been his second in Iowa.