President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance canceled several planned appearances across three states, in the final days of a midterm campaign that could see Republicans lose control of Congress.
Trump canceled two weekend rallies in Kansas and Iowa and will instead hold a flurry of tele-rallies, addressing voters by phone. The Republican National Committee said the president would reach at least 19 states in a "72-hour sprint" before Tuesday's elections.
The canceled stops were part of a midterm blitz in which Trump said he would travel to 35 locations to boost Republican turnout. He had been scheduled to appear in Kansas on Saturday and Iowa on Sunday.
"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," RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement.
Trump has campaigned at 25 rallies this month and acknowledged the strain following a dense schedule of back-to-back rallies. Sounding hoarse in Corinth, Mississippi, on Monday, he said: "God didn't make your vocal cords to do a rally every day."
On Thursday, after campaigning for Senator Darline Graham in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Trump snapped at a Reuters reporter who asked how he felt after weeks of rallies and whether he was tired of traveling. "You've been following me for two weeks," Trump, 80, said. "I feel perfect."
Hours later on the same day, Vance also called off a Friday news conference in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on the administration's "War on Fraud," though the reason for the cancellation remains unclear.
Vance, who leads the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, was scheduled to appear with other members to make an announcement on the administration’s 'War on Fraud” effort, according to the White House.
The scrapped appearance came as Trump's approval rating has fallen to historic lows amid growing frustration over high gasoline prices and the prolonged war with Iran.
Forecasters and prediction markets see the Democrats favored to sweep Congress , flipping both the House and Senate blue. The NBC News average of national polls showed 52% of surveyed Americans preferred Democratic control of Congress, compared with 43% who favored Republican control.
Trump is still scheduled to hold a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday, and no events have been announced for Monday, the final day of the campaign.
