Trump says ‘I thought I could relax’ over cancelled rallies

President Donald Trump appeared at a rally in Florida on October 31, 2026, after having called off a set of weekend rallies. Speaking to the crowd, he said he had assumed this event would be his final one before the midterms and that he had expected a chance to rest. He explained that phone calls from people in Iowa and Kansas changed his mind and led him to keep appearing, according to NBC News.

NBC News reports that the shift in plans came with four days left before the midterm elections, and the network has covered Trump's changing travel schedule as the campaign enters its closing stretch. Another NBC segment described a trip by the president to deep red South Carolina as a rescue mission, though the details of that visit were not spelled out.

The midterms are drawing attention in several contested places, including New Hampshire and Maine, where Senate races are being closely watched. In Alaska, federal prosecutors have announced an investigation tied to the Senate race there, and the state's governor has announced a criminal investigation of a Democratic Senate campaign.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →