President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would cancel rallies this weekend in Kansas and Iowa, where he was scheduled to campaign competitively, and instead hold phone rallies.
The rallies are part of his planned midterm blitz, in which he says he will travel to 35 locations across the country to help boost turnout for Republican candidates.
Trump has repeatedly touted what he sees as the positive impact of rallies on Republican candidates, even suggesting that his presence in battleground states has boosted the party’s support in the polls.
But after Thursday’s cancellation, his attitude appeared to have changed. Trump said he “didn’t feel like I had to go to Kansas,” adding that he thought Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who is running against Democrat Adam Hamilton, was “doing well.”
Concerns about the high costs associated with a war with Iran have turned the race into a brawl in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly a century.
Trump, who has attended 25 rallies in the past month, acknowledged that the blitz has not been “easy,” saying in a hoarse voice on Monday that “God didn’t give your vocal cords a chance to go to a rally every day.”
But he insisted Thursday that he felt “perfect” and lashed out at a reporter who pressed him on whether Kansas’ cancellation of the rally had something to do with his health.
“You’ve been stalking me for two weeks. I feel perfect. You’re disgusting. Get your act together. You look like hell,” Trump told reporters.
Trump’s interaction in Iowa was canceled hours later after White House officials and a person familiar with the matter confirmed that something was not right about his appearance.
The Republican National Committee said in a news release that the purpose of canceling the rally was to “maximize President Donald J. Trump’s opportunity to address voters across the country.”
Republican operatives in Iowa, where all but one of the congressional races this year are competitive, told NBC News that in-person rallies would help. Trump’s Saturday rally was scheduled to be held in Dubuque, the disputed 2nd Congressional District.
“Telephone rallies can help with turnout, but in-person rallies are really helpful,” one staffer said.
Another agent said he “hopes the president gets elected,” but said, “Iowa is in pretty good shape.”
Two White House officials said Thursday that Trump is aiming to hold “more than 20” telephone rallies before Election Day.
He still plans to hold an event in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday. He will campaign for Republican Rep. Randy Fine and Sen. Ashley Moody, who are running in races rated as strong Republican supporters by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
No events were announced Monday.