Trump erupts over 'sick' question about canceled midterm rally in Kansas
Trump erupts over 'sick' question about canceled midterm rally in Kansas
Joey Garrison, USA TODAYThu, October 29, 2026 at 10:13 PM UTC
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WASHINGTON — Facing a potential Democratic takeover of Congress in next week's midterm election, President Donald Trump blew up at a reporter who asked about his abrupt cancellation of a campaign rally originally set for Kansas this weekend.
"Oh you're sick to ask that question. You are sick," Trump said Oct. 29 when the reporter, who works for Reuters, asked whether the president canceled the trip because he's "sick of traveling."
"Look at this guy. He's way out of shape," Trump said, adding that he's no longer going to Kansas because incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is "doing very well." The White House said Trump is instead planning to hold a tele-rally for Marshall and other Republican midterm candidates.
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"You know what the reason is? I don't feel I have to go to Kansas. I'm going to Florida tomorrow," said Trump, who is holding a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday. "You've been following me for you 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 homestretch of the midterm campaign as he looks to energize the MAGA base. Yet the president's popularity is underwater in many of the states he's visiting, including Kansas, according to polls, making his appearance a risk for midterm candidates.
Trump's voice has turned hoarse as a result of the nightly rallies, at which the president often speaks for nearly two hours.
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Trump was originally set to hold what would have been his second rally in Kansas on Oct. 30 in Salina, but the event was scrapped Oct. 29. The Republican National Committee also announced that the president no longer would hold a rally in Iowa that had been planned for Nov. 1. The White House said Trump would continue to connect directly with Americans through more than 20 tele-rallies before Election Day.
“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 Chair Joe Gruters said in a statement.
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The scrapped plans comes as Kansas has become an unexpected battleground amid signs of a blue-wave election. Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton holds a four-point lead over Marshall (49% to 45%), according to a new CNN poll, in a state that hasn't elected a Democratic U.S. senator since 1932.
The same poll found 57% of Kansas voters disapprove of Trump's job performance. Trump won the state by 16 percentage points in the 2024 election.
Trump made the remarks after returning from a rally in South Carolina, where he campaigned for GOP Sen. Darline Graham, who is also in a razor-close race in a state that historically votes solidly Republican.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump erupts over 'sick' question about canceled midterm rally in Kansas
Source: “AOL Breaking”
