US President Donald Trump attacked a Reuters journalist during a tense exchange on Thursday, telling him he looked like hell and urging him to get in shape, after the reporter questioned him about his health and his decision to skip planned campaign rallies in Kansas and Iowa.
The exchange took place when the reporter asked Trump whether his decision not to travel to Kansas had anything to do with him feeling unwell after weeks of campaigning across the country. Trump reacted angrily, telling the journalist he was sick to ask that question, and when the reporter identified himself as being from Reuters, Trump added that Reuters was terrible.
The journalist tried to clarify that he was only asking about the President's well-being, but Trump turned his attention to the reporter's physical appearance and briefly mimicked him while repeating his question. Trump said the reporter was way out of shape, and when the reporter asked again whether he was feeling well, Trump insisted that he was in perfect health.
Trump then launched another personal attack on the journalist, calling him disgusting, telling him to put himself in shape and saying he looked like hell.
Trump cancels Kansas, Iowa campaign rallies
The confrontation came as Trump cancelled planned weekend campaign appearances in Kansas and Iowa, where Republicans are facing competitive races ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections. The rallies were scheduled to take place in Salina, Kansas, on Saturday and Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday.
Trump told reporters that he did not feel like he had to go to Kansas, while expressing confidence about Republican Senator Roger Marshall's prospects in the state. The Republican National Committee later announced the cancellation of the Iowa rally as well.
Instead of appearing in person, Trump's campaign funding group said it would organise a series of tele-rallies featuring the President in at least 19 states, including Kansas and Iowa, before Election Day.
Since October 1, Trump has held 25 rallies across 19 states as he campaigned to boost Republican candidates. The midterm elections will determine whether Republicans retain their narrow control of both the US Senate and House of Representatives.
Despite cancelling the two appearances, Trump is expected to travel to Florida on Friday for another campaign event. The President has previously acknowledged the physical demands of his campaign schedule, saying at a rally in Mississippi on Monday that God did not make vocal cords to do a rally every day.
