President Donald Trump canceled upcoming rallies in Kansas and Iowa, two states with unexpectedly competitive Senate races, with less than a week to go in the midterm elections, the Republican National Committee announced Oct. 29.
Trump is stepping back from the campaign trail after weeks of constant rallies that thrust him into the center of the midterm contests. The cancellations mark an abrupt shift in his campaign schedule on the eve of an election where Democrats are threatening to wrest control of Congress from the GOP.
Instead, Trump will hold tele-rallies for candidates in 19 states, the RNC saying in the Oct. 29 statement that it will allow the president to "reach more voters in the limited time left before polls close."
The Kansas event
was scheduled for Oct. 30 in Salina and the Iowa rally was slated for Nov. 1 in Dubuque.
Trump said he felt confident that Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall would win in Kansas. Speaking to reporters Oct. 29, the president erupted at a question asking why the rally in the Sunflower State was canceled.
"You know what the reason is? I don't feel like I have to go to Kansas," Trump said during his insult-laden response.
Trump still has a rally planned in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Oct. 30.
Iowa and Kansas races tight
Republicans were strongly favored to hold onto the Senate seats in Iowa and Kansas at the start of the election cycle, but the Real Clear Politics average of recent polls shows tight races in both states heading into the final weekend before Election Day.
Trump already has visited both states, holding rallies in Sioux City, Iowa, on Oct. 22, and in Park City, Kansas, on Oct. 19, even as both Hinson and Marshall have sought to distance themselves from the president at times.
In Kansas, the polling average shows Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton with a 0.2 percentage point lead over Marshall. In Iowa, the RCP average has Republican nominee Ashley Hinson with a 0.5 percentage point lead over Democrat Josh Turek.
Trump carried Iowa and Kansas by double digits in 2024. Republicans are on defense in other deep red states, including Ohio, Texas and Alaska. Democratic Senate candidates are leading in all three states in the average of recent polls.
Trump visits could be risk in tight races
Trump has held more than two dozen rallies in the homestretch of the midterm campaign as he looks to energize the MAGA base. His voice has turned hoarse as a result of the nightly rallies, where he often speaks for nearly two hours.
Yet the president's popularity is underwater in many of the states he's visiting, including Kansas and Iowa, according to polls, making his appearance a risk for midterm candidates.
In Kansas his net approval rating is -1%, while in Iowa, it is -20%, according to the Civiqs state-by-state approval tracker. Prior to the launch of the U.S. war on Iran, Trump's net approval rating in Kansas was 10%, while Iowa's net approval was at -8% before the war, according to the tracker.
Trump has urged voters to “pretend” he’s on the ballot, fretting that his supporters don’t show up in large enough numbers when he’s not running. The strategy acknowledges the enthusiasm gap Republicans face in an election that has Democrats motivated to put a check on Trump’s presidency.
Some Republicans have questioned the strategy, including Karl Rove, the former George W. Bush adviser, who recently described it as an approach that “carries real risks.”
“The president is gambling his omni-presence will animate more MAGA supporters who otherwise wouldn’t vote than energize more of the 60% of Americans who disapprove of him or the job he’s doing,” Rove wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
The president isn’t the only Republican changing tactics in the final stretch.
In Ohio, GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy stopped airing a controversial ad featuring his Democratic opponent’s estranged mother. The ad was criticized by prominent Ohio Republicans.
Want more election coverage?
- Sign up for breaking and politics push alerts on your smartphone.
- Subscribe to our daily and politics newsletters.
- Follow USA TODAY coverage on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, Threads, Reddit and YouTube.
- Can you vote by mail? Will there be ICE at the polls? See resources for voting and all your questions answered.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump cancels 2 rallies days ahead of midterms
