Trump Berates Reporter Over Kansas Rally Cancellation
Trump clashed with Bogage on Thursday on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, after returning from a rally in South Carolina. Asked how he was feeling after extensive campaign travel, Trump said his health was very good. When Bogage followed up by asking whether the Kansas cancellation was connected to travel fatigue, Trump called the questioner sick and disgusting and criticized his appearance and fitness.
Trump said Marshall was doing well and did not need him to appear in Kansas. He said he would hold a tele-rally instead and planned to travel to Florida the following day. The Saturday event had been canceled earlier Thursday. Marshall later said he believed he had better places to spend his time because his campaign was doing well.
The race has drawn attention because Kansas has traditionally favored Republicans. A poll released Thursday showed Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton leading Marshall 49% to 45% among likely voters. Trump has been campaigning for Republicans in close races ahead of the midterm elections, and a White House official said he would join over 20 phone rallies ahead of Election Day.
Trump ended the brief exchange by walking away as reporters continued asking questions. He has previously responded sharply to journalists who have asked about his health, including a reporter who questioned him about an MRI and a New York Times journalist who raised concerns about his fitness.
Trump Attacks Reporter as Kansas Race Tightens
Trump’s response to a straightforward question about his health turned a canceled Kansas campaign stop into a personal attack on the journalist asking it. On the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Thursday, Reuters correspondent Jacob Bogage asked whether Trump’s travel schedule had contributed to his decision to skip a rally for Sen. Roger Marshall. Trump called him sick and disgusting, then criticized his appearance and fitness.
Trump said Marshall was doing well enough that he could substitute a tele-rally for an in-person visit. But a poll released Thursday showed Democrat Adam Hamilton ahead of Marshall, 49% to 45%, in a state that has usually backed Republicans. The contest is among the races drawing Trump across the country as the midterms approach.
The episode also underscored how Trump handles questions about his health: rather than address the concern at length, he turned his criticism on the reporter and abruptly ended the exchange. He has previously lashed out at journalists who raised questions about his physical or mental fitness.
The White House says Trump plans to reach voters via over 20 phone rallies ahead of Election Day. That approach gives him a way to campaign for Republicans without traveling to every event in person, while leaving Marshall’s close race under heightened scrutiny.
Trump Defends Kansas Strategy as Reporter Presses Health Question
Trump defended his decision to skip a Kansas rally for Sen. Roger Marshall, saying the senator was doing well and could get his support through a tele-rally. The dispute arose Thursday at Joint Base Andrews, where Reuters reporter Jacob Bogage asked whether Trump’s travel schedule had made him reluctant to attend. Trump said he felt very good, then attacked the reporter’s fitness and called his question sick and disgusting.
The exchange focused attention on a campaign decision that Trump framed as practical: he said he did not feel he needed to go to Kansas and planned to travel to Florida the next day. Marshall had also suggested he was doing well enough that Trump had better places to spend his time. The White House says Trump will take part in more than 20 tele-rallies before Election Day, giving him another way to reach voters.
The Kansas race is competitive. A poll released Thursday put Democrat Adam Hamilton ahead of Marshall by four points, 49% to 45%, despite the state’s history of favoring Republicans. Trump has been campaigning in multiple states to help Republicans in close races.
Trump ended the tarmac exchange abruptly as reporters continued calling out questions. His sharp reaction shifted attention from the rally cancellation to the confrontation itself, even as his campaign continued with a tele-rally plan for Marshall.
Reported by CNN, Raw Story, New York Post, The Daily Beast, Daily Mail US, PBS NewsHour.
