Trump Cancels Kansas and Iowa Rallies, Shifts to More Than 20 Telephone Events Before Midterms

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UPDATED October 29, 2026 | Brownstone Worldwide Politics Desk

President Donald Trump has canceled two planned in-person campaign appearances in the final days before the November 3 midterms: a Saturday rally in Salina, Kansas, and a Sunday event in Dubuque, Iowa. The Kansas Republican Party and local airport officials confirmed the Kansas cancellation. The Des Moines Register reported the Iowa change after speaking with Republican operatives familiar with the plans. Trump is instead moving toward more than 20 telephone rallies, according to the White House.

New development: Dubuque, Iowa, event also canceled

Trump had been expected in Dubuque on Sunday, November 1, to encourage Republican turnout. The Des Moines Register reported Thursday that the in-person event was canceled and that a telephone rally was planned instead for Monday, November 2. The shift follows the cancellation of a Saturday, October 31, rally in Salina, Kansas, where Trump had been scheduled to campaign for Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.

The White House says the switch to more than 20 telerallies will let the president reach candidates and voters in multiple states during the final stretch. The cancellations do not, on their own, show that other campaign events have been canceled or prove a health-related explanation.

Why the changes matter

Republicans face competitive Senate races and intense pressure to mobilize their supporters ahead of Election Day. The new arrangements permit Trump to appear remotely in more contests, but eliminate two high-profile in-person appearances in states where party leaders have been working to drive turnout. Concerns about turnout and close polls are political context, not evidence that any particular candidate will lose.

What happened in Kansas?

Trump had been scheduled to appear Saturday, October 31, at Salina Regional Airport in support of Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. Local television station KMBC reported that airport officials confirmed the cancellation Thursday; the Kansas Reflector independently reported confirmation from the state Republican Party. Trump had already campaigned near Wichita on October 19.

Officials initially cited scheduling conflicts or offered no reason. The White House subsequently said that Trump would use telephone rallies to reach candidates and voters across multiple states, with more than 20 such events planned before Election Day. The shift does not amount to a cancellation of his broader campaign schedule.

A traditionally Republican seat suddenly looks competitive

A CNN/SSRS survey released October 29 shows Democrat Adam Hamilton at 49% and Republican incumbent Roger Marshall at 45% among Kansas likely voters. The four-point difference is within the survey’s roughly 4.5-point margin of sampling error, so the poll does not establish a clear leader. It nevertheless illustrates the difficult political environment for Republicans, who had expected Kansas to be safer territory.

State Republicans have been mobilizing national figures in Kansas. Vice President JD Vance also campaigned there this month. Reporting by the Kansas Reflector says early participation was up compared with the 2022 midterms at a similar point, while Republican early turnout was down relative to the 2024 presidential election. Comparisons across election cycles do not determine how citizens will ultimately vote, and early ballots are not a reliable final-result forecast.

Health questions and an angry exchange

The canceled Kansas trip and subsequent Iowa change generated public questions about Trump’s health and stamina. Those questions are not proof of any medical condition or a medical reason for the scheduling change. Associated Press reporting says Trump denied that illness was behind the decision.

When a Reuters reporter asked whether Trump was “sick of traveling,” Trump appeared to interpret the question as referring to his health. In a combative exchange, he criticized the reporter and said, “I feel perfect,” according to a video exchange described by Mediaite. The exchange is newsworthy for its tone, but it does not establish why the rally was canceled.

What it means

The immediate story is not simply an abandoned rally. Kansas is one example of how national Republicans are trying to turn Trump’s visibility into votes amid close polls and an unusually active early-voting period. Switching to telephone events may let Trump reach more battlegrounds with less travel, as the White House argues; it also deprives Kansas supporters of a final in-person presidential appearance.

For voters, the essential questions remain concrete: Will Marshall retain the seat, can Hamilton make inroads with independent and crossover voters, and will either campaign’s turnout operation deliver on November 3? Polls describe a snapshot, not a result. Brownstone Worldwide will continue tracking the evidence as ballots are cast.