Trump says he wants Texas GOP to pick up five seats in redistricting

President Trump said he hopes Texas Republicans will pick up five seats in the House from a redistricting plan they hope to enact in a special legislative session later this month. 

Trump told reporters that it’s “OK” if other Democratic-leaning states like California or New York also seek to redraw their congressional district lines to try to increase the number of Democratic-held seats. But he said a “very simple redrawing” could yield five additional seats for the GOP in the Lone Star State. 

“I think we’ll get five,” Trump said. “And there could be some other states we're going to get another three, or four or five in addition. Texas would be the biggest one.” 

His comments come after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced last week that redistricting would be included in the upcoming special legislative session. Abbott said the session would address legislation providing “a revised congressional redistricting plan in light of constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice.” 

States traditionally update their district lines once every 10 years, as provided for in the Constitution, but reporting has indicated that Trump’s team has been pushing Texas to redistrict earlier as the GOP tries to defend a narrow majority in the House. Historical trends that often see the president’s party lose seats in congressional midterm elections are another obstacle for the party. 

Democrats have slammed the move, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) accusing Abbott of “conspiring” with Trump and the House Republicans to “try to rig the election and disenfranchise millions of voters.” 

In response to Abbott’s plans, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has warned that he would move for the state to take similar action to add likely Democratic-held seats if Texas moves forward with its plan.