"Not able to run for two weeks": Trump cancels NRA rally appearance amid decline concerns

Former President Donald Trump abruptly cancelled an appearance at an NRA event in Savannah, Georgia, fueling public concerns about his mental state.

Trump was slated to headline the “Defend the 2nd” rally on Oct. 22. The Trump campaign cited a scheduling conflict in pulling out of that event, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The gun advocacy group later scrapped the entire event.

The cancellation follows an appearance at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday, in which interviewer John Micklethwait repeatedly pressed Trump on his rambling non-answers and topic changes. A day before that appearance, Trump similarly confused an audience at a Pennsylvania town hall when he paused questions for over half an hour to sway along to his playlist on stage.

Trump has been on a cancellation tear, pulling out of several planned interviews in recent days.

Per CNN’s Brian Stelter, Trump reportedly “suddenly scrapped” a planned interview with NBC News senior business correspondent Christine Romans penciled in for Monday morning in Philadelphia. He had previously cancelled a stop by CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” citing another purported scheduling conflict.

The cancellations follow a “60 Minutes” interview which Trump unexpectedly pulled out of two weeks ago. That move followed another appearance where Trump seemed somewhat lost.

The diminished campaigning schedule is sure to raise eyebrows as critics question whether the 78-year-old former president is fit to continue campaigning at a competitive pace.

Trump has canceled:

- 60 Minutes

- CNBC

- 2nd Debate w Kamala

- NBC interview

- Hasn't confirmed CNN Town Hall

and now canceled a NRA rally.

He's weak and weird. Not able to run for two weeks and won't make it for 4 years. pic.twitter.com/e7FbWVtrrD

— Keith Edwards (@keithedwards) October 17, 2024

“[He is] not able to run for two weeks and won't make it for 4 years,” Keith Edwards, a Democratic strategist, wrote on X.

In contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris is ramping up media appearances. Harris is reportedly in talks to appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast after a tense sit-down with Fox News’s Bret Baier.