Trump cancels, then reverses, Kansas and Iowa midterm rallies

Summary

US President Donald Trump cancelled his planned in-person rallies in Kansas and Iowa for the weekend before the midterm elections. The Republican National Committee announced the change on Thursday, five days before election day, saying Trump would instead take part in a large number of tele-rallies and that the party felt it was in a strong position in the two states. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Trump will phone into nearly 20 tele-rallies in the final days of the campaign, saying he no longer needs to travel. The Guardian reports that Trump then reversed the cancellation and uncancelled the two rallies, as polls suggest races in these former Republican strongholds could go down to the wire. Hindustan Times reports that the cancellations drew backlash after Trump clashed with a reporter over a question about his health, and quotes him in its headline as saying he feels perfect. The Sydney Morning Herald's headline says he then fat-shamed the reporter who asked why. The Straits Times reports that Trump was due to stop in Kansas and Iowa. The Channel NewsAsia report was available only as a headline and lead, so its account is limited to the cancellations and the phone-in plans.

Timeline

1. Straits Times

   29 Oct 2026, 23:31 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump cancelled his weekend rallies, that he was due to stop in Kansas and Iowa, and that he plans to phone in to other midterm campaign events.

2. Hindustan Times

   30 Oct 2026, 00:29 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump cancelled his planned Kansas and Iowa rallies and faced backlash after clashing with a reporter over a question about his health, and quotes him in its headline as saying 'I feel perfect.'

3. CNA

   30 Oct 2026, 00:37 UTCSource ↗

   Reports, based on its headline and lead only, that Trump cancelled his weekend rallies and plans to phone in to other midterm campaign events.

4. Sydney Morning Herald

   30 Oct 2026, 03:35 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump will phone into nearly 20 'tele-rallies' in the final days of the campaign instead of travelling to Kansas and Iowa, saying he no longer needs to, and its headline says he then fat-shamed a reporter who asked why.

5. The Guardian

   30 Oct 2026, 15:28 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the RNC announced on Thursday that Trump would no longer host the Kansas and Iowa rallies, and that Trump then cancelled and uncancelled the two in-person rallies as polls suggest the races could go down to the wire.