President Donald Trump told Texas Republicans on Tuesday that they would get five new seats as a part of the state’s redistricting efforts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
First reported by Punchbowl News, the move is the latest GOP attempt to preserve its narrow majority in the House. The Trump administration has been floating the idea to Texas lawmakers since June.
Of Texas’ 38 House seats, 25 are held by Republicans. The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on July 11, stating that four of Texas’s congressional districts were “unconstitutional.” Three of those districts are represented by a person of color, while the fourth is vacant.
Abbott asked the state legislature to redraw the congressional maps during its upcoming special session, using the DOJ’s letter as his basis for doing so. The governor called for “legislation that provides a revised congressional redistricting plan in light of constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D.-Texas, criticized the GOP’s gerrymandering proposal and said it’s an attempt to disenfranchise voters of color.
“I need people of color to understand that the scheme of the Republicans has consistently been to make sure that they mute our voices,” Crockett said. “I fully anticipate that’s exactly where they are going with this map.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom entered the conversation on Tuesday. In a post on X, the governor implied Democrats could make a similar move.
“Two can play this game,” Newsom wrote.
In a news conference with Texas Democrats, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, said Democrats will “push back aggressively” against the gerrymandering attempt.
“In this country, public servants should earn the votes of the people that they hope to represent. What Republicans are trying to do in Texas is to have politicians choose their voters and undermine free and fair elections,” Jeffries said.
