Trump reinstates Kansas and Iowa rallies after cancelling them

Donald Trump has reinstated campaign rallies in Kansas and Iowa after cancelling them a day earlier, according to reports published by the Guardian on October 30 and the South China Morning Post on October 31. The reversal comes before US midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.¹²

A revised campaign schedule

The Republican National Committee announced on Thursday, five days before election day, that Trump would drop the two appearances and take part in numerous tele-rallies instead, the Guardian reported. The committee said it considered Republicans well placed in both Kansas and Iowa.¹

A person familiar with the arrangements subsequently told the Guardian that both rallies had been restored to the schedule around 19 tele-rallies. The newspaper reported that Trump's remote campaign events on Saturday would reach 19 states.¹

Trump had explained the Kansas cancellation by saying that Republican senator Roger Marshall was performing well and that he did not need to visit, according to the Guardian. He also predicted “a strong Tuesday night” for Republicans.¹

Contests for Congress

The Guardian's account of the races in the two states differed from the confidence expressed by Trump and the Republican National Committee. The Guardian said polls indicated that the two Kansas Senate contenders, one Republican and one Democrat, were separated by only a slim margin.¹

Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate for 96 years, according to the Guardian. In Iowa, the newspaper reported small Democratic advantages in both the Senate contest and the race for governor.¹

Democrats are seeking to regain the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Guardian reported. The newspaper also reported declining approval ratings for Trump and described the congressional elections as a test of voters' views of him.¹

In a Guardian/Harris survey of about 2,000 adults, most respondents identified living costs and government corruption among their leading concerns, according to the Guardian. Those findings accompanied its reporting on the campaign schedule and the contests in Kansas and Iowa.¹

Questions over the cancellations

The Guardian reported that Trump responded to a Reuters reporter's question about the cancelled events by attacking the reporter's appearance and calling him “disgusting”. The South China Morning Post said the cancellations had prompted questions about Trump's health and the electoral contest; it reported his insistence that Republicans “have a shot” at success.¹²