President Donald Trump stands accused of abandoning Republicans in the midterm homestretch after a last-minute scheduling change sent alarm bells ringing.
On Thursday, CBS News White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs reported that Trump had canceled his in-person rally set for Sunday in Dubuque, Iowa, and replaced it with a tele-rally, citing three sources familiar with the decision. One source told Jacobs the switch was meant to make the most of the president's time and reach as many voters as possible.
It was Trump's second scrapped rally of the day. He canceled a Saturday event in Salina, Kansas, that was meant to shore up support for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS). The Republican National Committee said it would also become a tele-rally.
"Is Trump quiet quitting the midterms?" asked Dan Pfeiffer, a former Obama White House communications director and "Pod Save America" co-host.
Political data analyst Adam Carlson argued the move signaled panic. "Republican support is probably hemorrhaging everywhere as holdout undecided voters start to come off the fence, and it's happening so fast that they don't have time to poll everywhere and they're not sure where the bottom is or where the situation is most dire," Carlson warned.
Carlson called the strategy a "spray-and-pray approach" and added that tele-rallies, even ones featuring Trump, "tend to have the enthusiasm of an Enya concert."
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) suggested a different motive. "My belief is that this sudden change has nothing to do with maximizing Trump's time," he wrote. "The multiple protestors at his hate rallies have really bothered Trump because he can't handle the truth. He now wants to be coddled in his safe space. Weak."
Political writer Nick Field suspected the White House "got some rough polling" and said Trump "doesn't want to associate himself with midterms anymore."
Political commentator Eric Spracklen speculated, "Either they naively think Trump calling in on Zoom will have the same impact as him showing up in person or they are just throwing in the towel completely." He added, "Optics here are not good."
Activist and author Amy Siskind put it more bluntly. "They are imploding," she declared. "VOTE VOTE VOTE!"
Jewish Insider editor-in-chief Josh Kraushaar offered a two-word reaction. "Drip, drip," he posted.