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President Donald Trump will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday, putting two campaign stops back on his schedule after Republicans said Thursday that the events would no longer take place as planned.
In response to an inquiry from Newsweek, the White House provided a statement on background from a source familiar with the plans, who said the rallies are “back on.”
“President Trump loves his supporters, and in addition to nearly 20 tele-rallies, he will hold back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa on Sunday,” the source said.
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“The rallies were rearranged for scheduling purposes to accommodate dozens of additional tele-rallies that were recently added to the President’s schedule,” the source added.
The new plans mark a turnaround from Thursday, when the Republican National Committee said: “With Republicans in a strong position in Kansas and Iowa, previously planned in-person rallies in those states will no longer take place as scheduled.”
The reversal comes just days before the November 3 midterm elections, with Republicans facing competitive Senate races in both states. In Kansas, Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton has led Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in some recent polling, while the Iowa race between Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek also remains close.
Marshall said Thursday that he believed the Kansas appearance had been dropped because “they think that I'm doing so well in the polls, that [Trump has] probably got better places to spend his time.”
Trump gave a similar explanation after a reporter asked Thursday whether the change was because he was tired of traveling.
“You are sick to ask that question,” Trump responded. “I'm not going to Kansas because he's doing very well,” he added, referring to Marshall. “I don't feel I have to go to Kansas. I feel perfect.”
Sunday's rallies will now put Trump back on the ground in both states during the final weekend of campaigning, alongside the nearly 20 tele-rallies the source said the president plans to hold.
...
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who is running for reelection against Trump-backed Mike Collins in Georgia, was asked about the canceled rallies by MS NOW's Jen Psaki on Thursday.
"He is a weak, failed, disgraced president," Ossoff responded, "who's probably canceling these rallies not out of concern for the candidates his presence harms. These Republican candidates, most of them if they have any sense, don't want him to come to their states."
Ossoff later added that he imagines the rallies were canceled "to avoid the humiliation of empty seats and small crowds."
New Poll Shows Hamilton with Four-Point Lead
The decision comes amid a competitive reelection race for Marshall, with polling showing Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor, gaining ground in a state Trump carried by 16 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
The CNN/SSRS poll, conducted October 20-26, found Hamilton leading Marshall by four percentage points among Kansas likely voters, with 49 percent supporting the Democrat and 45 percent backing the Republican incumbent.
The findings underscore the increasingly competitive nature of the race, which could have significant implications for control of the Senate after the November 3 midterm elections.
Other recent polls have also shown a close contest. A YouGov survey conducted September 24 to October 4 showed Hamilton leading Marshall by three points, while a separate GBAO poll conducted September 30 to October 4 for Hamilton's campaign found the Democrat ahead by five points.
An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted October 13-14, however, gave Marshall a one-point advantage, with 48 percent support compared with Hamilton's 47 percent.
The CNN/SSRS poll surveyed 838 likely voters in Kansas and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Because Hamilton's four-point lead falls within that margin, the survey does not establish a clear leader.
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Trump to Return to Kansas After Earlier Marshall Rally
Sunday's expected appearance will be Trump's second Kansas rally for Marshall this month.
The president campaigned for the senator in Park City, near Wichita, on October 19, while Vice President JD Vance has also made multiple appearances in support of the Republican, including rallies in the Kansas City area in September and in Topeka on Monday.
Trump had been due to return to Kansas before the RNC announced Thursday that the planned appearance would no longer take place as scheduled. The White House now says Trump's Kansas and Iowa trips are expected to take place Sunday, with the change attributed to scheduling around his 20 tele-rallies.
The reversal puts Trump back on the ground in Kansas during the closing stretch of a race that has become significantly more competitive than Republicans initially expected.
Why the Kansas Race Matters for Senate Control
The contest has attracted national attention because of its potential implications for the balance of power in Washington.
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority, with the Democratic caucus including two independents. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control of the chamber, requiring them to defend their own vulnerable seats while flipping multiple Republican-held contests.
Kansas was not initially considered one of the most obvious Democratic pickup opportunities. Trump's decisive victory in the state in 2024 appeared to give Republicans a strong electoral foundation.
But the Senate race has become a tougher contest for Marshall, with polling suggesting the incumbent's standing may matter more than the state's underlying partisan preferences.
A CNN analysis of its latest polling found that most likely voters in Kansas viewed Marshall unfavorably. The survey also indicated that Hamilton was attracting support from approximately 12 percent of Republican and Republican-leaning voters, an unusually broad level of crossover support for a Democratic candidate in the states examined.
Among Hamilton's supporters, 59 percent said their vote was motivated primarily by opposition to Marshall rather than support for the Democratic challenger. The findings suggest the race may be driven largely by voters' assessments of the incumbent, rather than by traditional partisan loyalties.
However, the poll also found that at least one in eight likely voters in Kansas, Texas and Michigan could still change their minds. Among uncommitted voters in Kansas, at least six in 10 identified as Republicans or Republican-leaning independents, leaving Marshall with a potential pool of voters who could return to the Republican incumbent before Election Day.
Hamilton's background as a Methodist megachurch pastor also distinguishes him from many Democratic Senate candidates. He considered running as an independent before securing the Democratic nomination, ultimately defeating Christy Davis, a former federal agriculture official, and Noah Taylor, an Army veteran, in the primary.
His campaign now faces the challenge of turning that competitiveness into enough votes to overcome the state's Republican advantage.
Iowa Senate Race Remains Tight as Trump Rally Plans Shift
Trump's decision to return to Iowa on Sunday comes as the state's closely watched Senate race between Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek tightens ahead of Election Day.
Recent polling has shown a narrow contest between the candidates. A Marist poll conducted October 8-11 found Turek leading Hinson by three percentage points among likely voters, 48 percent to 45 percent.
Other surveys have given Hinson a slight advantage. An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted October 21-22 showed the Republican ahead 47 percent to 45 percent, while an October 27 Echelon Insights survey put Turek ahead 45 percent to 43 percent, although that poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 6.5 percentage points.
The race matters nationally: Democrats need to flip four Republican-held Senate seats to win control of the chamber.
Democrats See an Opening in the Final Days
Kansas is one of many states where recent polling has given Democrats renewed hope of Senate gains. Recent polling also found Democratic candidates leading in Michigan and Texas, while Maine remained closely contested.
In Texas, Democratic state Representative James Talarico leads Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton by six percentage points, 49 percent to 43 percent, among likely voters. The result is notable in a state that has not elected a Democrat to statewide office in three decades and that President Trump carried in 2024.
Statista
Michigan presents another potential Democratic opportunity. Democrat Abdul El-Sayed leads Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, by seven points, 49 percent to 42 percent, among likely voters. The shift follows a contentious Democratic primary, with El-Sayed consolidating support within his party: 95 percent of Democratic likely voters now back him, up from 90 percent in CNN's earlier survey. At the same time, views of Rogers have deteriorated. Half of likely voters now hold an unfavorable opinion of the Republican, up from 42 percent in early September.
In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson leads Republican Sen. Susan Collins 49 percent to 45 percent in another closely watched contest. Collins is the only Republican senator seeking reelection in a state that voted Democratic in the 2024 presidential election, making the race an important test of whether a long-serving incumbent can maintain support amid broader dissatisfaction with the Republican Party.
Polls show Democrats making inroads in traditionally Republican territory, while established battlegrounds remain competitive. But polling leads are not guarantees, and the races remain open to late shifts.
Full Trump Rally Schedule Ahead of Midterms
Trump is expected to continue his in-person campaigning through the final weekend before Election Day, while simultaneously holding a series of tele-rallies supporting Republican candidates across the country.
On Friday, Trump is expected at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. Doors are scheduled to open at 3:30 p.m. ET, with Trump's remarks beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds is also expected to attend.
The president is then shifting to virtual tele-rallies before Election Day, with events planned for the following states:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Florida
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New York
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Virginia
The tele-rallies will allow him to support candidates across multiple states without traveling to each location. A complete public schedule of the virtual events has not yet been released.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon, Rhian Morgan, Anna Commander, Edward T. Cummins
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