United States President Donald Trump launched a personal attack on a journalist on Thursday, following questions about his health and the decision to cancel two election rallies in Kansas and Iowa.
“You look like hell,” Trump replied when asked by the reporter whether he was “sick of travel” during campaigning. Trump has held 25 rallies across 19 states since October 1 in a bid to boost the Republican campaign. The US President also mocked the reporter for his appearance, saying, “You’re way out of shape.”
Trump was supposed to campaign for incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas, and was due to appear in a joint campaign rally with GOP Senate candidate Ashley Hinson and gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn in Iowa as the Republican Party looks to ramp up efforts in the final leg of campaigning before the November midterm elections. However, the White House announced on Thursday that both rallies have been canceled.
US President’s tense exchange with reporter over ‘health’ question
A video of the tense exchange between the US President and a Reuters journalist showed the latter initially asking Trump, “You’ve been doing a lot of travel. How are you feeling? How’s your health?” Trump replied to the question, saying, “We had a great rally. That was a great rally.”
However, when specifically asked whether him not travelling to Kansas had anything to do with him being “sick of travel”, Trump lashed out at the journalist, saying, “You are sick.” The US President then went on to mock the reporter’s appearance, saying, “He’s way out of shape.”
“Are you feeling well? You’ve been following me for two weeks. I feel perfect. You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape. You look like hell,” Trump said before walking off.
The US President said he was not going to Kansas because Republican candidate Marshall was “doing very well.” “You know what the reason is? I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas,” Trump said.
He added that he was doing tele-rallies and would attend a rally in Florida on Friday. “I’m going to Florida tomorrow and I’ll do if something else comes up,” he said.
The two cancelled rallies were scheduled for Salina, Kansas on Saturday and Dubuque, Iowa on Sunday. Trump’s campaign funding group, MAGA Inc, said it would organise a series of tele-rallies featuring the President in at least 19 states, including Kansas and Iowa, before the midterm elections.
The Associated Press had earlier reported that the cancellations were a part of a change in campaign strategy by the GOP, by which Trump will try to reach out to more voters instead of focusing on two states
The Republican party is facing a challenge as surveys highlight Trump’s declining popularity. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, the US President’s approval rating is at 32% this week, up a percentage point from a historic low of 31% last week.
