President Donald Trump erupted at a Reuters reporter Thursday after being questioned about whether his canceled campaign appearances in Kansas and Iowa were connected to fatigue from his extensive midterm travel schedule.
The fiery exchange unfolded at Joint Base Andrews after Trump returned from campaigning in South Carolina, where he had appeared on behalf of Republican Sen. Darline Graham. Reuters reporter Jacob Bogage initially asked Trump how he was feeling after weeks of nearly nonstop campaigning across the country.
Trump responded that he felt “very good” before emphasizing his confidence about Republicans heading into Tuesday’s midterm elections. Bogage then asked whether Trump’s decision not to travel to Kansas had “nothing to do with you being sick of traveling,” prompting an immediate response from the president.
“Oh, you’re sick to ask that question,” Trump fired back before asking which news organization employed the reporter. After Bogage identified Reuters, Trump responded, “You are a sick guy,” and declared that “Reuters is terrible, by the way.”
Trump then turned his attention toward the reporter’s physical appearance while defending his decision to alter the weekend campaign schedule. “Look at this guy, he’s way out of shape,” Trump said before explaining that he believed Republican Sen. Roger Marshall was performing well enough that an in-person Kansas appearance was unnecessary.
The president noted that he was still traveling to Florida on Friday and participating in a series of telephone rallies designed to reach Republican voters across numerous states.
“You’ve been following me for two weeks,” Trump told Bogage before declaring, “I feel perfect.” Trump then delivered the sharpest line of the exchange, telling the Reuters reporter, “You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape. You look like hell.”
Trump has no patience left for reporters who question his health after another grueling campaign schedule:
“Put yourself in shape. You look like hell.” https://t.co/AgJcyc6bND
— johnny maga (@johnnymaga) October 29, 2026
The confrontation quickly circulated online, while the White House rapid-response operation highlighted the exchange on social media. The questioning followed the cancellation of Trump’s scheduled Saturday rally in Salina, Kansas, and a Sunday rally in Dubuque, Iowa.
Trump said he did not believe traveling to Kansas was necessary because Marshall was “doing very well” in his reelection contest against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. The Republican National Committee subsequently announced that the Iowa appearance would also no longer take place as originally scheduled.
Rather than withdrawing from campaigning altogether, Trump and Republican organizations announced a major virtual push designed to dramatically expand the number of voters the president could address before Election Day.
Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. said the president would participate in tele-rallies reaching at least 19 states, including Kansas and Iowa. The RNC separately described the effort as a closing 72-hour campaign sprint, with Trump expected to reach voters across the country without spending hours traveling between individual campaign venues.
