Donald Trump has cancelled weekend rallies in an abrupt shift during the final days of the midterm election campaign, opting instead to support Republican candidates by phone.
The US President was scheduled to hold a rally in Kansas on Saturday and in Iowa on Sunday.
But the Republican National Committee announced on Thursday night he would spend a “72-hour sprint” doing tele-rallies rather than in-person events, saying it would maximise his ability to speak to voters nationwide.
The committee said tele-rallies were planned for nearly 20 states and more may be announced.
The 80-year-old had pledged to push through the final days of the campaign doing rally after rally to galvanise his supporters.
As of Thursday, he had done 25 during October, falling short of a goal he had once placed north of 30.
There were signs the travel and long speeches have caught up with him.
On Monday in Mississippi, Trump told a crowd in a raspy voice: “God didn’t make your vocal cords to do a rally every day".
He bristled on Thursday when a reporter asked whether he had cancelled plans to travel to Kansas because of his health.
“You’ve been following me for two weeks. I feel perfect,” Trump snapped.
The president said he was not travelling to Kansas, where Republican Senator Roger Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, "because he’s doing very well".
“I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas,” Trump said.
The billionaire, who revels in big crowds, this month held rallies in smaller venues than many he once filled.
The decision to switch to tele-rallies means he will be expected to speak for about 10 minutes instead of more than 90, as he does at in-person events.
Trump plans to travel to Florida for a rally on Friday. It’s not clear whether he will hold additional in-person events after that.
The White House has not published his schedule for Monday, the final day of the campaign.
Democrats took notice.
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan who's in a tight race against Republican Mike Rogers, said Trump had “given up".
“He’s an old man, he’s a loser,” El-Sayed continued.
“He now understands that he has fully lost the midterms for his party."
After travelling to South Carolina on Thursday for the second time in a month - a sign of Republican anxiety about Darline Graham's ability to fend off a robust challenge from Democrat Annie Andrews for a critical US Senate seat - the president said: "We're going to have a strong Tuesday night".
Meanwhile, the US Justice Department filed a revised lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's election results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses narrowly.
It comes after The New York Times reported Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting another candidate with the same name as Sullivan in a bid to siphon his votes.
Peltola denied knowing anything about it.
"I am not interested in tricking voters," she said at the top of a speech in a bar in Juneau, Alaska’s capital.
Alaska is one of about 10 highly competitive races that will decide control of the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats - and a post-election dispute in Alaska could leave control of the chamber unclear for weeks.
Trump called the development in Alaska a “conspiracy” and called for Peltola to be removed from the ballot.
With Reuters
