President Donald Trump has reversed course and will now hold midterm rallies in Kansas and Iowa this weekend after he was called out by a reporter for canceling them.
The rallies in Kansas and Iowa were pulled at the 11th hour by Republican officials who announced the events would be replaced with 19 telerallies.
Now the rallies are back on following pressure from a reporter who asked Trump if the cancellations had anything to do with his health.
“You know what the reason is? I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas,” Trump snapped at the Reuters reporter on Thursday. “I feel perfect. You are disgusting.”
The Iowa and Kansas rallies, taking place Sunday, have been rearranged to accommodate the new telerallies added to Trump’s schedule, a source familiar with the plans told The Independent.
“Rallies are BACK ON!” the source said. “No one works harder, fights harder, or loves the American people more than President Donald J. Trump!”
The president is also scheduled to hold an in-person rally Friday night in Daytona Beach, Florida, as Republicans are bracing for what could be a “brutal” Election Day for the party, according to Politico. He was previously scheduled to spend the weekend in Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The Republican National Committee announced that telerallies would be held in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.
Pundits have been weighing in on the significance of Trump’s exchange with the reporter who riled the president on Thursday.
Fox News’ Dana Perino remarked that the scheduled change “did not make the president happy,” while journalist Aaron Rupar, who posts viral clips of the president on social media, said that Trump’s “crashout” was “very telling.”
“He really didn't like the optics of canceling them,” Rupar said.
Before the reversal, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins told viewers on Thursday, “It may have been the president's answer that was the most revealing about what's going on.”
Collins, who is often on the receiving end of Trump’s verbal attacks, noted that the reporter “got an irritated answer” for asking a “straightforward question,” and pointed out “it's the president himself who has touted his own ability to maintain a busy schedule.”
Trump has been traveling the country all month to boost voter turnout among his supporters, addressing his MAGA faithful at 25 rallies. In the final week, his voice was notably strained during his 90-minute speeches.
According to CNN, the decision to cancel the final two rallies was met with relief by some Republican officials. “Thank God, he hasn't moved the needle anywhere,” one GOP source told the network.
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia speculated on MSNOW that the rallies were canceled over a lack of interest.
“Most of these Republican candidates don't want them to come to their states,” he said. “I imagine they are canceling these to avoid the humiliation of empty seats and small crowds.”
Before the change of plans, the White House said that telerallies gave Trump “the opportunity to highlight his accomplishments and expand his reach across the country.”
RNC chairman Joe Gruters added, “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.”
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