"You're Disgusting, You Look Terrible"... Trump Hurls Insults at Reporter Over 'Health Question'

Trump launches personal attacks after reporter suggests health concerns prompted him to cancel weekend rallies

With the midterm elections just around the corner, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly canceled planned in-person rallies in battleground states. When a reporter asked whether the cancellations were due to concerns about his stamina, Trump responded with a string of insults.

U.S. President Donald Trump. White House

According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump canceled rallies scheduled for October 31 in Kansas and November 1 in Iowa on October 29 local time. A Reuters reporter asked whether he had canceled the rallies because he was tired of traveling, given that he had held 25 in-person rallies this month alone. Trump replied, "You're sick for asking that question," then asked, "What news outlet are you with?"

When the reporter said they were with Reuters, Trump said, "You're a deranged person," and criticized the news agency, saying, "Reuters is terrible." Then, looking visibly angry, he snapped, "I'm not going to Kansas because he [Republican Senator Roger Marshall] is doing very well. I'm perfectly fine. You're disgusting. Take care of yourself. You look terrible."

Contrary to Trump's claims, both Kansas and Iowa are still considered close Senate races. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted its ratings this month for both the Kansas Senate and gubernatorial races from "Republican-favored" to "toss-up." In Iowa, the Senate race was rated a "toss-up," while Democrats were favored in the gubernatorial race.

Analysts said Trump's late visits could backfire, as both states have become battlegrounds amid waning support for him. Rather than rallying supporters in person, Trump had decided to hold phone rallies with Republican activists in about 20 states. The day after the controversy over his insults, the White House said the Kansas and Iowa rallies had been rescheduled because of those events, and that Trump would hold back-to-back in-person rallies in Iowa and Kansas on November 1.

This was not the first time Trump had reacted aggressively to an uncomfortable question. On October 20, in the Oval Office, he interrupted Andrew Feinberg, a reporter for the British newspaper The Independent, as Feinberg tried to ask about plans to renovate the East Potomac public golf course in Washington, D.C. Trump repeatedly told Feinberg to "be quiet," then berated him, asking, "What's wrong with you?" and "Are you a deranged person?" Two days after the exchange, the White House excluded Feinberg from Trump's traveling press pool.

Since his first administration, Trump has clashed with news outlets that publish critical coverage, denouncing them as "fake news."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.