Trump scraps midterm rallies, plans to phone in to other campaign events

US president Donald Trump on Thursday cancelled planned weekend campaign stops in Kansas and Iowa, and his allies said he would instead phone in to rallies nationwide after four weeks of travel to boost Republicans’ election chances.

Trump told reporters he did not “feel like I have to go to Kansas,” a Midwestern state where Senator Roger Marshall, a fellow Republican, is in an unexpectedly competitive race with Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. “He is doing very well,” Trump said of Marshall. “We are going to have a strong Tuesday night.”

Later on Thursday, the Republican National Committee said in a statement that it would also cancel a planned rally in Iowa, home to several competitive congressional races.

The cancelled in-person rallies were set for Salina, Kansas, on Saturday, and Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday.

Since Oct 1, Trump has hosted 25 rallies in 19 states, often speaking for his party in rural areas of Republican-friendly states. Tuesday’s midterm elections will determine whether Republicans retain narrow control of the US Senate and House of Representatives.

MAGA Inc, a campaign funding group aligned with Trump, said on Thursday it would host a series of “tele-rallies” with the president in at least 19 states, including Kansas and Iowa, before Election Day.

The president is still expected to travel to rallies in several states before Tuesday’s election, including in Florida on Friday.

Trump has noted that his recent series of more than hour-long campaign speeches has been challenging. Sounding hoarse in Mississippi on Monday, Trump said, “God didn’t make your vocal cords to do a rally every day.”

On Thursday, after campaigning for Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina, Trump ridiculed a Reuters reporter who asked how he felt after weeks of rallies and whether he was sick of traveling.

“You’ve been following me for two weeks,” Trump said before boarding his motorcade back to the White House. “I feel perfect.”

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