Trump Cancels Iowa and Kansas Rallies, Switches to Telerallies Before Midterms

President Donald Trump has canceled planned in-person rallies in Iowa and Kansas less than five days before the November 3 midterm elections and will hold virtual telerallies instead, the Republican National Committee said Thursday. The Kansas event had been set for Saturday at Salina Regional Airport to support Sen. Roger Marshall, who faces Democrat Adam Hamilton. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said the virtual events would be more efficient and reach more voters than on-the-ground stops, calling it a 72-hour sprint. The RNC said the telerallies would reach nearly 20 states, including Michigan, Alaska, Texas and Iowa, and that more events may be announced. A White House official said Trump would hold more than 20. His Friday rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, will go ahead, and he spoke at a Rock Hill, South Carolina, rally Thursday. A CNN poll released Thursday put Hamilton ahead of Marshall 49% to 45%, within the margin of error.

The right-leaning outlets here, The Daily Signal and Townhall, do not address the cancellations in the excerpts. Both focus on Trump's Wednesday-night rally in Chillicothe, Ohio. The Daily Signal calls it raucous, noting protesters interrupted the speech and the crowd booed, then chanted "USA." Townhall leads with Chillicothe police saying no stabbing occurred outside. Capt. Short told TMZ that an officer's pocketknife clip snagged a man's shirt during a fight and the knife never opened. No one was booked. Townhall also describes Trump supporters clashing with leftists. CBS News, on the left, leads with the Iowa cancellation and telerallies, pairs it with the Rock Hill rally, and adds a Post and Courier editor on South Carolina's Senate race. Both sides place events days before the midterms but cover different events. Al Jazeera mirrors CBS with RNC detail, while ZeroHedge calls the move an ominous sign and cites the CNN poll and Fox News Senate rankings.