Trump Cuts 25 October Rallies, Switches to 72-Hour Phone Sprint

President Donald Trump dropped two weekend in-person rallies in favor of a phone-based campaign, a change that leaves his final days of campaigning in flux. The Republican National Committee announced on Thursday that the president would skip scheduled stops in Kansas and Iowa. Instead, he will participate in a 72-hour sprint of telerallies, a format the RNC said allows him to address voters in nearly 20 states simultaneously.

The pivot comes as the midterm election enters its final stretch, with control of Congress at stake. Trump had completed 25 rallies in October, falling short of a target he previously set above 30. He cited the strong standing of Kansas Senator Roger Marshall as the reason for skipping the state, telling reporters, "I don't feel I have to go to Kansas." When asked if health factors played a role, he replied, "I feel perfect."

The shift marks a departure from the president's recent pattern of large, in-person gatherings. At telerallies, he is expected to speak for roughly 10 minutes, a fraction of the more than 90-minute speeches he delivers at physical venues. A Republican Senate campaign strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted widespread curiosity about the sudden schedule change. Trump has this month held events in smaller venues than those he historically fills, and his voice has grown raspy, as he admitted on Monday in Mississippi, where he told the crowd, "God didn't make your vocal cords to do a rally every day."

In South Carolina, the president returned to the state for the second time in a month to support Republican Senate candidate Darline Graham against Democrat Annie Andrews. Graham, who was appointed to the seat in July following her brother Lindsey Graham's death, faces a tight race in a state that has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in nearly three decades. Andrews, a pediatrician, urged voters to "try something new for once," while Graham warned that Andrews "would just throw it all away."

Democrats have responded to the telerally shift with skepticism. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, said the president's effort to energize Republicans has backfired. "He's an old man, he's a loser," El-Sayed stated. "He now understands that he has fully lost the midterms for his party."

Trump plans to hold a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday. The White House has not yet released a schedule for Monday, the final day of the campaign, leaving it unclear if he will hold additional in-person events before election day.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department issued new grand jury subpoenas in connection with an investigation into the Alaska Senate race. The probe follows reports that the campaign of Democrat Mary Peltola may have been involved in recruiting a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Trump called the development a "conspiracy" and questioned whether Peltola would be seated if she won.