Trump puts Kansas and Iowa rallies back on his schedule a day after they were cancelled

President Donald Trump will hold in-person campaign rallies in Salina, Kansas, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday 1 November, a White House official and another person familiar with the plans told NBC News on Friday, reversing a decision announced less than a day earlier.

On Thursday evening the Republican National Committee said the Kansas and Iowa rallies would not go ahead and that Trump would instead take part in tele-rallies targeting 19 states, citing Republicans’ “strong position” in the two states, CNBC reported. Trump told reporters on Thursday: “I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas,” according to Al Jazeera.

On Friday a source familiar with the plans said: “Rallies are BACK ON!” The source told NBC News the events “were rearranged for scheduling purposes to accommodate nearly 20 additional tele-rallies” and that Trump would do both. The Kansas rally had originally been set for Saturday and the Iowa rally for Sunday at a different Iowa location, according to Al Jazeera and NBC News.

Both states have Senate races rated among the most competitive of the midterm cycle, CNBC reported. In Kansas, an Emerson College poll released Friday showed Democrat Adam Hamilton at 49% and Republican Senator Roger Marshall at 45%, Al Jazeera reported. Before the reversal, Marshall said of the cancellation: “They think that I’m doing so well in the polls that he’s probably got better places to spend his time.”

Trump was also scheduled to appear in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday, according to NBC News. The midterm elections are on Tuesday 3 November.