'You are disgusting': Trump lashes out at reporter as he cancels weekend rallies ahead of midterm polls

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>US President Donald Trump is scrapping two of his last <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2038966">midterm election</a> rallies, his Republican Party said Thursday, as the 80-year-old leader lashed out at a reporter who asked if he was “sick of travelling”.</p> <p>“You’re sick to ask that question. You are sick,” Trump told the reporter after returning to Washington from a campaign trip to South Carolina.</p> <p>“I feel perfect. You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape, you look like hell.”</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HfOG5k5i_fY'> <div class='media__item media__item--youtube_short media__item--relative'> <div style="position: relative; aspect-ratio: 9 / 16; overflow: hidden; max-width: 360px; margin: auto"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HfOG5k5i_fY?enablejsapi=1&controls=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0;" loading="lazy" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen ></iframe> </div></div> </figure> <p>Trump told reporters he did not “feel like I have to go to Kansas,” a Midwestern state where Senator Roger Marshall, a fellow Republican, is in an unexpectedly competitive race with Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton.</p> <figure class='media w-1/2 sm:w-1/3 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2038966'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2038966" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>“He is doing very well,” Trump said of Marshall.</p> <p>“We are going to have a strong Tuesday night.”</p> <p>Later on Thursday, the Republican National Committee said in a statement that it would also cancel a planned rally in Iowa, home to several competitive congressional races.</p> <p>Instead of the events in Kansas and Iowa, Trump will hold a “large number” of virtual “telerallies” in a series of states, the Republican National Committee said.</p> <p>The canceled in-person rallies were set for Salina, Kansas, on Saturday, and Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday.</p> <p>Republicans are fighting to keep control of Congress in the November 3 midterms. Trump has urged the party to “pretend I’m on the ballot” to maximise turnout despite his poor approval ratings.</p> <p>“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 RNC statement said.</p> <p>The president is still expected to travel to rallies in several states before Tuesday’s election. Trump’s final election rally is now set to be in Florida on Friday.</p> <p>Despite being the oldest elected president in US history, Trump has kept up a gruelling schedule of near-daily rallies throughout October to help Republicans in the midterms.</p> <figure class='media w-1/2 sm:w-1/3 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2039414'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2039414" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>Since October 1, Trump has hosted 25 rallies in 19 states, often speaking for his party in rural areas of Republican-friendly states. Tuesday’s midterm elections will determine whether Republicans retain narrow control of the US Senate and House of Representatives.</p> <p>MAGA Inc, a campaign funding group aligned with Trump, said on Thursday it would host a series of “tele-rallies” with the president in at least 19 states, including Kansas and Iowa, before Election Day.</p> <p>Trump has noted that his recent series of more than hour-long campaign speeches has been challenging. Sounding hoarse in Mississippi on Monday, Trump said, “God didn’t make your vocal cords to do a rally every day.”</p> <figure class='media w-1/2 sm:w-1/3 media--right media--embed media--uneven' data-original-src='https://www.dawn.com/news/2038967'> <div class='media__item media__item--newskitlink '> <iframe class="nk-iframe" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:250px;position:relative" src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/2038967" sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div> </figure> <p>On Thursday, after campaigning for Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina, Trump ridiculed a <em>Reuters</em> reporter who asked how he felt after weeks of rallies and whether he was sick of travelling.</p> <p>“You’ve been following me for two weeks,” Trump said before boarding his motorcade back to the White House.</p> <p>“I feel perfect.”</p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.