This decision marks a sharp turnaround after the US president declared that he did not feel obliged to organize these events.
Published on October 30, 2026
A day after announcing he would cancel two campaign rallies, US President Donald Trump reversed course, opting to put the events back on the calendar.
A source close to the Trump administration told Al Jazeera on Friday that Trump will headline, in person, previously canceled rallies in Kansas and Iowa ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.
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“The gatherings are starting again! » said the source. “No one works harder, fights harder, or loves the American people more than President Donald J. Trump!” »
Previously, Trump was scheduled to visit Kansas on Saturday and Iowa on Sunday. But now, both gatherings will take place on Sunday.
The source said the events were reorganized to include more tele-rallies, allowing Trump to attend virtually.
Republican officials also do not rule out that an additional campaign event could be added to the president’s schedule before the midterm elections.
The move marks a sharp turnaround after Trump told reporters Thursday, “I don’t feel obligated to go to Kansas.” »
“We’re going to have a strong Tuesday night,” Trump said of the midterm elections.
Iowa and Kansas are states normally friendly to the president’s Republican Party. For example, since 1932, Kansas has not elected a Democrat to a full term in the Senate.
But according to early polls, voters in both states have shifted more toward Democratic Senate candidates this campaign cycle.
In Kansas, for example, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is in an increasingly competitive race with his Democratic challenger, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton.
An Emerson College poll Friday put Hamilton in the lead, with 49 percent support, compared to Marshall’s 45 percent.
Analysts have warned that Republican candidates could experience election backlash on issues such as the cost of living, with fuel prices higher than normal due to the US-Israel war over Iran.
Before Friday’s reversal, Marshall defended Trump’s decision to cancel his rally in Kansas.
“They think my poll numbers are so good that he probably has better places to spend his time,” Marshall said Thursday.
Democrats, however, were quick to accuse Trump of abandoning the Republican candidates less than four days before the vote.
David Axelrod, who served as a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, called the cancellation a “strategic withdrawal” in a social media post.
The Republican National Committee argued that virtual appearances would be more effective, allowing Trump to reach more voters.
Trump is expected to speak Friday at a rally in Daytona Beach, Fla., to help promote two of the state’s Republican candidates: U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Moody and gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds.
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