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President Donald Trump scrapped two rallies scheduled for the final weekend before the 2026 midterm elections. His campaign will reportedly replace them with a series of short virtual events as Republicans confront worsening political conditions nationwide.
Donald Trump’s revised campaign plans before the midterms
The Republican National Committee abruptly called off Donald Trump’s Saturday rally in Salina, Kansas, and his Sunday event in Dubuque, Iowa, announcing the change on Thursday. The president will instead headline tele-rallies, shorter virtual gatherings, across at least 19 states this weekend, including Kansas and Iowa, according to Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc.
Briefing on the cancellations, a Republican operative told MS NOW that surging demand in close races drove the decision, arguing that tele-rallies let Trump reach more voters across more districts in the campaign’s final stretch. RNC Chairman Joe Gruters framed the pivot as an upgrade. “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,” he wrote in a statement.
A White House official reinforced that message, noting that Trump will hold more than 20 tele-rallies before Election Day and use them to promote his record. After all, the schedule shake-up follows a grueling stretch for the president, who has staged 25 rallies since opening his final midterm blitz in Durant, Oklahoma, 29 days ago.
He reportedly frequently returns to the White House late at night or in the early morning. Some Republican candidates, meanwhile, have kept their distance amid Trump’s record-high disapproval rating, voter anxiety over rising costs, and the war in Iran.
Maine and New Hampshire remain absent from the tele-rally list, a notable omission given that even Trump allies concede lukewarm voters could tip those competitive Senate races. Only one in-person rally remains confirmed: Friday in Daytona Beach, Florida. A senior White House official claimed a planned Monday rally in Michigan is not finalized, and Trump intends to stay at the White House on Election Day.