Atlanta: Donald Trump cancelled his final midterm rallies and will spend the last days of the election campaign calling into “tele-rallies” across the country, as polls point to Democratic victories in key states that could hand it control of both US Congress chambers.
The US president binned two rallies scheduled for this weekend in the Midwest states of Kansas and Iowa, where the race for a Senate seat has been considered a toss-up. He rallied in deep-red South Carolina on Thursday (US time), where the Senate race is surprisingly competitive.
Barring any last-minute changes, Trump will now hold his final rally in Florida on Friday (US time), with none planned for the final three days of the campaign. During the 2018 midterm elections, he held seven in-person rallies in the final 72 hours.
The Republican National Committee said it was “maximising opportunities” for Trump to speak to voters by shifting to the telephone format.
“With Republicans in a strong position in Kansas and Iowa, previously planned in-person rallies in those states will no longer take place as scheduled,” party chairman Joe Gruters said.
“President Trump is expected to participate in a large number of tele-rallies, which can reach more voters in the limited time left before polls close.”
The Republican Party named 19 states where the tele-rallies would take place. Trump is scheduled to call into one from Air Force One while en route to Florida on Friday.
He has held rallies nearly every day since the start of October, criss-crossing the country on his taxpayer-funded plane and appearing mostly in red states, or swing states such as Michigan, where Senate contests are especially close.
Asked by Reuters reporter Jacob Bogage whether his cancellation of the Kansas rally had anything to do with being “sick of travel”, Trump erupted and shamed Bogage over his appearance.
“You’re sick to ask that question,” Trump said. “Look at this guy, he’s way out of shape. Look at how badly … You are disgusting, put yourself in shape, you look like hell.”
Trump said he canned the Kansas rally because Republican senator Roger Marshall was “doing very well”. The 80-year-old denied he had any issues keeping up with the travel schedule. “You’ve been following me for two weeks; I feel perfect.”
Later, an official White House account, Rapid Response 47, posted screenshots taken from Bogage’s personal Instagram page that showed him taste-testing snacks in a car. The video had been from an unflattering low angle. “Sloppy,” the White House said.
While the party portrayed Trump’s rally cancellation as a sign of strength and prioritisation, polls released on Thursday (US time) suggested that wasn’t the case and that the GOP faced a reckoning that could see it lose control of the Senate, as well as the House of Representatives.
Surveys of likely voters in key states – by CNN and polling outfit SSRS – showed Democrats ahead in Michigan, Texas, Maine and even deep-red Kansas.
Democrat James Talarico was leading Republican Ken Paxton 49 per cent to 43 per cent in Texas, which last sent a Democrat to the US Senate in 1988.
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive Democrat who has attracted national attention , was ahead of Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan by 49 per cent to 42 per cent, the poll found.
Meanwhile, Democrats Troy Jackson and Adam Hamilton were leading their Republican rivals 49-45 in Maine and Kansas, respectively.
However, the CNN/SSRS polls – conducted online and by phone over the past seven to 10 days – had a margin of error of between 4.2 and 4.7 percentage points in each of those states.
And in 2024, many polls close to election day were incorrect, including one by a veteran Iowa pollster that had Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris beating Trump in that state (he ended up winning by an increased margin).
Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control of the Senate. A third of the 100-seat chamber is up for re-election this year. It is considered likely the Republicans will lose their slim majority in the House of Representatives.
Marshall told reporters he wasn’t sure what to make of Trump cancelling the Kansas rally. “They think that I’m doing so well in the polls that he’s probably got better places to spend his time – not sure,” he said.
The rallies were designed to mobilise conservative voters, particularly Trump supporters who might not usually vote in a midterm election. One of Trump’s successes in 2024 was driving up the turnout among young white men, for example.
Trump’s recent rallies have been plagued by intermittent hecklers, whom he alleges are paid protesters. There have also been questions about attendance, with some arenas full but some containing rows of empty seats.
The president has sounded hoarse on some occasions, especially during a recent appearance in Michigan. And there have been regular verbal slip-ups during his unscripted speeches, which typically last 90 to 100 minutes.
Republican strategist David Urban told CNN he did not know why the party cancelled the in-person rallies, but tele-rallies were “pretty effective” and could reach far more people than with a rally.
Democratic strategist Mike Nellis said on X: “Either he’s too tired to campaign or he’s not welcome. Pick your poison, I guess.”
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