Kansas and Iowa were set to get a president in person. They’ll get a phone call instead.
President Trump has scrapped in-person rallies in both states and will spend the final weekend before the midterms talking to voters by phone, according to the Republican National Committee. Those Trump tele-rallies replace the planned stops.
The RNC announced Thursday evening that Trump will do a “72-hour sprint” of tele-rallies, which are phone events, in nearly 20 states. The in-person stops he dropped were Saturday at Salina Regional Airport in Kansas and Sunday in Dubuque, Iowa.
What the Trump tele-rallies actually are
A tele-rally is a large group call. The campaign dials in voters across a state, and the candidate or a surrogate speaks to all of them at once. Trump’s calls should run about 10 minutes each. By contrast, some of his in-person rallies have gone past 90 minutes, per ABC News 4.
The reported list includes Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Texas matters in particular, since Republicans are already nervous about the Senate race there.
The state count depends on who you ask. The RNC says nearly 20. A White House official told The Hill it will be more than 20. A MAGA Inc. release cited by CBS says at least 19. The campaign could add more.
Why Trump swapped rallies for a 72-hour phone blitz
Here’s the official line. “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, per CNBC. The RNC also says GOP candidates are in a strong position in Kansas and Iowa.
Trump put it more bluntly to reporters: “I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas.”
Still, nobody has given a firm reason beyond that. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, said he wasn’t sure why the campaign cancelled the Salina stop. The Salina Airport Authority said the RNC told it of the change Thursday morning. Vance also cancelled a Friday press conference in Minnesota, and officials gave no reason for that either.
Reporters asked Trump whether health or fatigue played a role, and he denied it. CBS headlines carry his “I feel perfect” response. This outlet could not confirm the full wording, so we’re not quoting it. Here’s what we can say. At a rally in Corinth, Mississippi, on Oct. 27, he joked, “God didn’t make your vocal cords to do a rally every day.”
The numbers behind the schedule and the phone rallies
Trump held 25 rallies in October, short of his goal of more than 30. CNBC says he had talked about visiting 35 locations. Now the phone rallies fill the gap.
His only confirmed in-person event left is Friday at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he is expected to campaign for Byron Donalds and Ashley Moody. The campaign has announced nothing for Monday, the last day of the campaign.
Officials told Ground News they expect him to spend Election Day at the White House.
What virtual rallies mean for voters
This is a schedule change, not a poll result, and a phone call is a different animal than a packed arena. Rallies fire up a base and drive local news. Virtual rallies, meanwhile, reach more doors at once, but they’re easy to ignore (one tap, and the president goes to voicemail).
Context matters too. CNBC reports that forecasters and prediction markets see Democrats favored to flip both the House and Senate. It also points to Trump’s approval rating at historic lows, with frustration over gas prices and the prolonged war with Iran. Even so, polls and markets are not results. In the same vein, investors are watching the midterms too. Only the count on Nov. 3 settles it.
Here’s the thing: if you live in a tele-rally state, expect calls. If you’re in Salina or Dubuque, there will be no motorcade and no road closures. Florida early voting ends Saturday, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Check our guide to Florida early voting and results, and confirm your local polling hours before you go.
The big question now is whether the phones turn out more voters than the arenas would have. We find out in four days.
