'Bum rap': Trump claims Marshall could have been arrested for not suing patients

Matthew Kelly and Kacen Bayless, The Kansas City Star on Oct 12, 2026

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President Donald Trump on Monday defended U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall’s history of suing patients over unpaid medical bills as Marshall tries to withstand a stormy reelection bid.

Trump, in a wide-ranging social media post, made the bold assertion that the former longtime rural OB-GYN could have been arrested if he had not taken more than 700 patients to court over unpaid medical bills ranging from several thousand dollars to as low as $101.

Trump’s claim is legally dubious. His review of Marshall is glowing.

“He is absolutely GREAT, a wonderful person, given a ‘bum rap’ because he was mandated by Law to request money owed from patients,” Trump said. “A judge ordering a patient’s arrest for not showing up to court many, many times is not Roger Marshall’s fault — IT IS THE LAW …”

No federal or state law requires medical providers to turn patients with outstanding balances over to collections. There is also no law requiring debt collectors to request that judges issue arrest warrants for defendants who fail to appear in court.

A Star analysis of court records linked to 150 active and defunct medical practices of all sizes across Kansas found 35 that sued patients over unpaid bills. Many sought wage garnishments, but none charged as high as 18% annual interest on bills, the rate Marshall tacked on.

Trump casts Hamilton as too liberal

The roughly 500-word post also lobbed a series of attacks at Marshall’s Democratic challenger, the Rev. Adam Hamilton. Hamilton’s campaign has generated national attention as he attempts to become the first Democratic senator elected in Kansas since 1932.

“Roger is running against a Radical Left Dumocrat named Adam Hamilton, a Trump Deranged Phony who pretends to be a ‘Moderate,’ but he’s not!” Trump wrote.

The president attempted to cast Hamilton as too liberal, echoing a familiar criticism from Marshall’s campaign and supporters. Hamilton has framed himself as a moderate Democrat and has sought to garner support from Republican and independent voters.

“As someone who got a massive Majority of the Evangelical Vote, I can state unequivocally that Adam Hamilton is not one of us!” Trump wrote. “He is a Radical Left LUNATIC Dumocrat, whose values are not those of the People of Kansas, or the United States of America, and now he’s trying to take out one of the best and most respected Senators in our Country.”

Trump also compared Hamilton to policies often associated with progressives, casting the Democratic pastor as weak on crime, soft on immigration issues and supportive of transgender rights.

The Republican president went a step further and repeated allegations that Hamilton covered up a sex abuse scandal more than two decades ago. Hamilton’s campaign has vehemently denied the allegations and a series of court records undercut the claim that Hamilton attempted to protect the child abuser, who was ultimately convicted for an unrelated offense.

But Hamilton has also acknowledged that he would have handled the case differently today.

Trump teases ‘Kansas Style Rally’

Trump’s post came amid a bitter race for Senate in Kansas between Hamilton and Marshall. Recent polling shows the race tightening as Republicans nationwide gear up for a potentially tough Nov. 3 election.

It remains unclear whether support from Trump will be helpful for Republicans in tight races this cycle amid concerns over the economy, war with Iran and Trump’s own polling numbers. Some Republicans have attempted to distance themselves from the president.

While Vice President JD Vance has traveled to the Kansas City area twice over the past year, Trump has not yet visited Kansas this cycle. But the Republican president appeared to suggest on Monday that could be changing.

“I will be having a Kansas Style Rally, in Roger’s Honor, very soon,” Trump wrote. “See you there!”

The post did not expand on whether a “Kansas Style Rally” meant that he would visit Kansas ahead of the election. Trump called into a 10-minute “tele-rally” in support of Senate President Ty Masterson’s bid for governor in August.

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