Thursday 29 October 2026
Trump cancels his Kansas rally, switches to tele rallies, and tears into a reporter who asked why
President Trump cancelled the rally set for Saturday at the Salina airport in Kansas and will hold tele rallies instead, the Kansas Republican Party said, in the final stretch before the November 3 midterms. Asked by a Reuters reporter whether he cancelled because he is sick of traveling, Trump called the question sick and the reporter disgusting and out of shape, and said Senator Roger Marshall is doing very well and does not need him in Kansas. A CNN poll released Thursday put Marshall behind Democrat Adam Hamilton by 49 to 45 percent, as of October 29.
The Salina rally is off. President Trump was due to hold his second Kansas rally of the campaign on Saturday at the Salina airport, ahead of the November 3 midterms. The event page was still up at noon on Thursday. By the end of the day the Kansas Republican Party had confirmed the cancellation. Pieter Miller, who runs the Salina Airport Authority, said the latest information was that the rally was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.
The party's explanation was reach. "President 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," said Laura Francis, a Kansas GOP spokesperson. "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." The White House said Trump will hold more than 20 tele rallies before Election Day. He flies to Florida on Friday for a rally in Daytona.
The exchange that travelled furthest on Thursday came when a Reuters reporter asked whether the trip was cancelled because the president is sick of traveling. "Oh you're sick to ask that question. You are sick," Trump said. "Look at this guy. He's way out of shape." He said he no longer needs to go to Kansas because Senator Roger Marshall is doing very well. "You know what the reason is? I don't feel like I have to go to Kansas. I'm going to Florida tomorrow. You've been following me for two weeks. I feel perfect. You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape. You look like hell." Trump has held more than two dozen rallies in the closing stretch, often speaking for nearly two hours, and his voice has turned hoarse.
The Kansas Senate race is the reason the cancellation drew attention. A Democrat has not won a Senate race in Kansas since 1932, and Trump carried the state by 16 points in 2024. A CNN poll released on Thursday, as of October 29, put Marshall behind Democrat Adam Hamilton, 49 percent to 45 percent. Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance have already campaigned in Kansas for Marshall and the other Republicans on the ballot.
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