President Donald Trump will host campaign rallies in Iowa and Kansas after all, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC on Friday, hours after the Republican Party said those events would be scrapped in lieu of a series of tele-rallies.
"Rallies are BACK ON!" the source said in response to an email CNBC sent to the White House press office.
The scheduling shake-up came as political prognosticators widely predict Democrats will make significant gains in Congress, taking majority control in the House and possibly the Senate. Despite grappling with record-low approval ratings and plummeting marks on his handling of the economy, Trump has criss-crossed the country this month in an effort to whip up support for GOP candidates by insisting voters act like he is on the ballot.
The back-to-back rallies in Kansas and Iowa will be held Sunday in addition to the flurry of tele-rallies that were added to Trump's schedule in the final stretch before Election Day, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the change that has yet to be officially announced.
The scheduling update swiftly reverses the Republican National Committee's announcement in a press release Thursday evening that Trump's Kansas and Iowa rallies would no longer take place as scheduled.
Instead, Trump would participate in a slew of tele-rallies targeting 19 states, the RNC said at the time, claiming the move was being made in light of Republicans' "strong position" in the two states.
"Voters across the country want to hear from President Trump before Election Day, and this 72-hour sprint will be a huge boost in the closing days," RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in Thursday's press release.
But both Kansas and Iowa, typically Republican strongholds, have emerged as highly competitive battlegrounds in the 2026 cycle.
Recent polls show Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton slightly leading incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, while Iowa's Senate race between GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state legislator Josh Turek appears neck and neck.
Trump's Kansas and Iowa rallies had been "rearranged for scheduling purposes" to accommodate the virtual events, the source told CNBC on Friday morning, apparently in explanation for the abrupt changes to the president's schedule. The RNC did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for clarification.
The un-canceled stops are part of a midterm blitz in which Trump said he would travel to 35 locations to boost Republican turnout. While that number appears out of reach, Trump has traveled extensively, holding 25 rallies this month alone.
Trump has acknowledged the strain following the dense campaign schedule. Sounding hoarse in Corinth, Mississippi, on Monday, he said, "God didn't make your vocal cords to do a rally every day."
On Thursday, after campaigning for Sen. Darline Graham in Rock Hill, South Carolina, Trump snapped at a reporter who asked how he felt after weeks of rallies and whether he was tired of traveling. "You've been following me for two weeks," Trump, 80, said. "I feel perfect."
While Trump's travel is back on, Vice President JD Vance will no longer appear as scheduled at a event in St. Cloud, Minnesota, for an announcement on the administration's efforts against fraud, MS NOW reported Friday. That state's Senate race is also close, with some polls finding Democrat Peggy Flanagan having as little as a 3-point lead over Republican Michele Tafoya.
The cancellation is "due to a scheduling change," a source familiar with the matter told MS NOW. Vance leads the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
Trump is still scheduled to hold a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday.
