President Donald Trump’s iconic rally era may be coming to an end. For more than a decade, Trump and rallies have been synonymous. But as midterms arrive, his recent comment has many wondering if he’s hanging up his rally speeches.
”I’m closing it down tonight,” Trump said Sunday as he opened his final rally in Salina, Kansas. “This is it.” Trump has been busy on the campaign trail, doing what he can to change the tide as polls are not in his favor and millions grow increasingly frustrated by an unaffordable landscape. He’s attended 30 events in 32 days, and some say his rallies have not helped and instead continue to hurt an already sinking ship.
Trump’s rallies are often packed with headline-making soundbites, even as much of his rhetoric sparks controversy. Blurring the line between politics and entertainment, Trump’s speeches have become a spectacle unlike anything else in American politics. But as he approaches the lame-duck phase of his presidency, Trump appears to be contemplating a future without the friendly arenas where his historically low approval ratings are drowned out by the cheers of thousands of devoted supporters.
During Sunday's rally, Trump celebrated the events as “a unique thing that’s taken place,” adding, “We’ve been doing this for 11 years, and there’s never been anything like it, and there probably never will be again. There’ll never be the crowds. There’ll never be the feeling.” He knows his rallies are breaking news.
According to an analysis from The Washington Post, no two rallies are exactly alike, but attendees have come to expect a familiar lineup of sights, sounds and talking points. Trump typically takes aim at his political opponents with inflammatory remarks, plays selections from his personally curated playlist and feeds off thousands of supporters cheering his name. But beyond the spectacle, the numbers tell a less flattering story — one Trump is likely to challenge. Perhaps his suggestion that the rallies are coming to an end reflects a growing recognition of the political realities confronting him.
According to the Silver Bulletin approval tracker, Trump's national approval rating has fallen to an average of 37.3 percent, while 59.9 percent of Americans disapprove of his job performance. The growing decline in public support is reportedly taking a toll on the president, who has appeared increasingly unfocused and scattered during public speeches. Insiders describe him as frequently agitated, while observers have raised concerns about his apparent fatigue and his overall health appearing to be in decline.
