Trump Cancels Weekend Iowa and Kansas Rallies, Will Hold Tele-Rallies Before Midterms

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is canceling this weekend's rallies in Kansas and Iowa and will hold tele-rallies instead, four days before the U.S. midterm elections. The events were to have supported Republican candidates in competitive races as part of a planned blitz in which Trump said he would travel to 35 places to raise turnout. He has appeared at 25 rallies in the past month. Trump said he didn't feel he had to go to Kansas, adding that Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, is doing well. Concerns over the costs of the war in Iran have helped make that race a toss-up in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly a century. The Republican National Committee said the last-minute change would let Trump reach more voters through virtual tele-rallies. Asked by a reporter whether the Kansas cancellation was tied to his health, Trump said he felt perfect and called the reporter disgusting. Democrats lead Republicans nationally 51.4 percent to 43.2 percent in RealClearPolling's average, and a Marquette Law School poll in Wisconsin put Trump's approval at 37 percent.

Left-leaning outlets NBC News and MS NOW lead with the cancellations. NBC News stresses that Trump had touted his rallies' benefit, then appeared to change course, and it features his hoarse voice, his exchange with the reporter about his health and the tight Kansas Senate race. MS NOW's brief excerpt emphasizes the abrupt timing and the RNC's explanation. Al Jazeera, an alternative outlet, treats the cancellation as one item in a broader four-days-out election preview, citing poll numbers, Marquette's Charles Franklin on Democratic enthusiasm and Republican disappointment, and an Arizona retiree worried about grocery costs, plus an Alaska legal dispute that could delay that Senate result. The Times of India's headline frames it as Trump skipping rallies in red states for phone campaigning. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had, focusing on the cancellations, Trump's health remarks and the political climate.