WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has abruptly canceled a planned campaign rally in Kansas just days before the midterm elections, sparking questions about his stamina that culminated in an angry personal confrontation with a reporter on Thursday.
Trump had been scheduled to campaign Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Salina Regional Airport in support of Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. The Salina Regional Airport Authority confirmed Thursday that all local events for the president had been called off, local television station KMBC reported. A White House official told NBC News and the New York Post that Trump would pivot to holding “more than 20” tele-rallies instead between now and Tuesday to broaden his geographic reach.
Tense exchange on the tarmac
The sudden change in plans prompted immediate scrutiny from the traveling press corps. After returning to Washington from a campaign stop in South Carolina aboard Air Force One on Thursday, Trump was questioned by Reuters journalist Jacob Bogage about his health and whether fatigue from travel influenced the decision.
Trump, 80, reacted with visible fury, directing harsh insults at the reporter’s personal appearance. “Look at this guy. He’s way out of shape,” Trump said, according to the New York Post. “You’ve been following me for two weeks. I feel perfect. You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape. You look like hell.”
Trump maintained that his physical condition was sound and defended skipping the Kansas visit, claiming Marshall “is doing very well” and did not need the in-person appearance. The White House rapid response team later amplified the exchange by posting the confrontation and tagging Bogage on X, the Post reported.
Strategy shift amid grueling midterm schedule
The cancellation marks a sharp departure from Trump’s relentless schedule this month. Through Wednesday, the president had logged campaign stops on 22 of the past 28 days across 19 states, NBC News reported, noting that his typical rally addresses averaged 90 minutes and frequently resulted in late-night returns to the executive mansion.
A Republican source told NBC News that the shift to remote phone events was aimed at managing Trump’s limited time while assisting candidates in competitive contests across the map. However, other questions surrounded the weekend calendar. The Palm Beach Post reported that Trump is scheduled to host a Halloween gathering at his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida on Saturday, according to Gizmodo. While Trump confirmed he plans to travel to Florida on Friday, a planned Sunday rally in Dubuque, Iowa, has also been called off, according to the Des Moines Register as cited by Gizmodo.
High stakes in Kansas
The scrapped trip to Salina comes at a precarious moment for Republicans defending their Senate seat in Kansas. Although Trump visited the Wichita area on Oct. 19 to boost Marshall, the incumbent faces an unexpectedly tough reelection challenge from Democratic contender Adam Hamilton.
A recent CNN poll showed Marshall trailing Hamilton 49 percent to 45 percent, Gizmodo reported. Nationwide, Trump’s political standing remains fragile, with a CNN polling average putting his public approval rating at 34 percent heading into next week’s vote.
Trump is expected to address supporters in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday before conducting his remote campaign sessions, while party leaders await Tuesday’s results to see if the eleventh-hour tactical pivot protects their narrow congressional margins.
