President Donald Trump has canceled two rallies in the final days of the critical 2026 midterm elections, and instead, is now spending the weekend holding a flurry of tele-rallies – shorter virtual events – as polls show Republicans facing growing political headwinds.
The president was originally set to campaign in Salina, Kansas, on Saturday and Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, but the Republican National Committee, which has been organizing his final campaign blitz, suddenly announced on Thursday that those rallies will no longer take place.
Over the last several weeks, the president has traveled across the country with near-daily rallies, often campaigning in Republican strongholds in an effort to turn out his base. Some Republican candidates, however appear to have distanced themselves from the president in the midst of his all-time high disapproval rating, as well as voter concerns over rising costs and the ongoing war in Iran. His rallies have occassionally been interrupted by protestors whom the president has claimed are being paid.
A Republican operative familiar with the cancellations told MS NOW that the last-minute change of schedule for the president is due to a “high demand” for him in numerous tight races in the final stretch of the election, claiming telerallies allow him to reach a wider pool of voters in more districts.
“Voters across the country want to hear from President Trump before Election Day, and this 72-hour sprint will be a huge boost in the closing days,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters wrote in a statement announcing the cancellation.
A White House official echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the telerallies still allow Trump to reach Americans ahead of Election Day.
“President Trump will continue connecting directly with Americans nationwide through more than 20 telerallies before Election Day,” the official said. “These events give him the opportunity to highlight his accomplishments and expand his reach across the country.”
Trump is now expected to spend the weekend leading up to the election participating in tele-rallies for at least 19 states, including Kansas and Iowa, according to Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. States not on the list as of now include Maine and New Hampshire, where even allies of Trump have acknowledged that voters less enthusiastic about the president could decide the results of competitive Senate races.
While returning from Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Thursday evening after speaking at a rally to boost Sen. Darline Graham, Trump lashed out at a reporter who asked whether he canceled Saturday’s rally in Kansas because he was “sick of traveling.”
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Soorin Kim is a White House producer with MS NOW.
Emily Hung is an associate White House producer for MS NOW.
Jacqueline Alemany is a Washington reporter for MS NOW and co-host of “The Weekend.”
