Trump Cancels Weekend Rallies in Kansas and Iowa, Shifts to Tele-Rallies in 19 States

Updated 16:58 UTC. President Donald Trump has restored the canceled weekend rallies in Kansas and Iowa, a White House official said on Friday, reversing the cancellation reported below. "Rallies are BACK ON! President Trump loves his supporters, and in addition to nearly 20 tele-rallies, he will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported. The official said the rallies had been rearranged to accommodate the tele-rallies recently added to the schedule. The Des Moines Register reported that the Iowa rally is back on for Sunday, Nov. 1, after organizers said on Thursday that the Dubuque appearance would move to a tele-rally. The Register said it was not immediately clear whether the rally will remain in Dubuque or move to another Iowa city. Trump is still campaigning in Florida on Friday, and he will still hold nearly 20 tele-rallies before Tuesday's vote. The original report below, published on Oct. 29 and updated on Oct. 30, described the cancellation as first announced.

Updated 04:02 UTC. President Donald Trump has also canceled his planned rally in Dubuque, Iowa, the Republican National Committee said later on Thursday, expanding the change first reported here for Kansas. The Iowa rally was scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 1. The original report below, published on Oct. 29, said Trump was scheduled to campaign in Iowa this weekend. That plan has changed.

The committee said Republicans are in a strong position in Kansas and Iowa, and that the previously planned in-person rallies in those states will no longer take place as scheduled. Instead, Trump will hold tele-rallies for candidates in 19 states, which the committee said will allow him to reach more voters in the limited time left before polls close on Nov. 3.

Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Thursday, Trump said he did not feel he had to go to Kansas, and that Senator Roger Marshall was doing very well. Reuters reported that Trump has hosted 25 rallies in 19 states since Oct. 1. He is still expected to rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday, Oct. 30.

President Donald Trump has canceled a campaign rally scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, at Salina Regional Airport in Kansas, on the same day a new poll showed Republican Senator Roger Marshall trailing his Democratic challenger in a state Trump won by 16 points two years ago.

Salina Airport Authority Executive Director Pieter Miller said the airport's latest information was that the rally was canceled due to scheduling conflicts, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. The event page was still up as of noon on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Kansas Republican Party confirmed the cancellation.

A shift to tele-rallies

Kansas GOP spokesperson Laura Francis said Trump is shifting from in-person rallies, including Saturday's event in Salina, to tele-town halls that allow him to reach more voters across the nation. "With key races in multiple states, this approach allows him to connect with voters in more communities as Republicans work toward victory on Election Day," Francis said.

A Republican source familiar with the situation gave the same reason to the Capital-Journal. "The demand for POTUS from our candidates to hold rallies in their states has been insane, so we're adjusting to a tele-rally to maximize his reach in battleground states as races continue to tighten," the source said. The Washington Sun reported that nearly two dozen tele-rallies are now planned before Election Day in states including Texas, Kansas, Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan, and that a White House official pushed back on the idea that the change signals trouble in Kansas. No information was immediately available on plans for a Kansas tele-rally, the Capital-Journal reported.

Scripps News reported that the Salina rally was also meant to boost Republican gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson, who faces Democrat Cindy Holscher in the race for the open governor's office.

A Senate race Kansas Republicans expected to hold

The cancellation landed on a bad polling day for Marshall. A CNN poll released on Thursday, Oct. 29, found Democrat Adam Hamilton leading Marshall by 49 percent to 45 percent. A Democrat has not won a Senate race in Kansas since 1932. Trump carried the state by 16 points in the 2024 election, and Marshall won his first term in 2020 by 11 points, the Washington Sun reported.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance have already campaigned in person for Marshall this cycle. Trump rallied near Wichita, at Park City, on Oct. 19, where he asked Kansas voters to pretend he was on the ballot. Vance rallied in Topeka on Oct. 26 and in Olathe on Sept. 14. The Salina visit would have been Trump's second Kansas trip in two weeks, Kansas Public Radio reported.

Marshall has said the path to the Senate majority runs through Kansas. Republicans hold the chamber by 53 seats to 47, so a Democratic win in Kansas would make their hold on the majority harder to keep. Trump has stayed on the road in the final stretch, campaigning in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Thursday for Senator Darline Graham, whose race has also tightened, and he is scheduled to campaign in Iowa this weekend, where the Senate race is also close, Scripps News reported.

Voters decide the Kansas race on Tuesday, Nov. 3.