US President Donald Trump has restored two campaign rallies in Kansas and Iowa, a day after calling them off. The cancellation had raised questions about his health and the state of the race, AFP reported. The US votes next Tuesday, November 3, in midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.
Trump said he had cancelled the events to hold virtual rallies instead. He said Republicans in Iowa and Kansas then called him. They told him a visit "would be better than a tele-rally." Both states voted comfortably for Trump in 2024. According to AFP, they have since become unexpected battlegrounds for Republicans.
On Thursday, a reporter asked Trump whether he was dropping the Kansas trip because he was "sick of traveling." Trump said he felt "perfect." He said he no longer needed to go because Republican Senator Roger Marshall was doing very well. Earlier in the week, Trump had complained of losing his voice. Political strategist Mike Fahey told AFP that the reversal was probably a response to questions about the 80-year-old president's energy. Fahey said that putting the events back on the calendar was the fastest way to end that narrative.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump acknowledged that a sitting president's party often does badly in midterms. He said Republicans could do "pretty well" and perhaps "very well." Late on Friday, he told a crowd in Daytona, Florida, that the rallies were meant to stop "America-hating communists" from taking over Congress. He repeated his promise to give every adult US citizen $5,000 if Republicans keep both chambers. Experts have questioned whether he has the legal authority to do so, AFP reported.
Republicans are defending a 53-47 majority in the Senate. Democrats want to win at least one chamber and limit Trump's agenda in his final two years in office. AFP said Trump's low approval ratings could hurt Republican chances. So could public anger over the Iran war and the cost of living. Trump has warned that he will face a third impeachment if Republicans lose. Democrats fear he will not accept a defeat, after he recently stepped up claims of voter fraud.
According to figures released on Friday, a record 47.9 million Americans have already voted. Registered Democrats are outpacing Republicans. The surge is strongest in states with fiercely contested Senate races. Pope Leo XIV, the first US-born pope, submitted his mail-in ballot in Chicago, the Vatican said. It is the first known time a pope has voted in a political election.
Also late on Friday, a federal court in California temporarily blocked US justice officials from intimidating local election officials. The ruling came as the Justice Department issues directives on how ballots are processed.