Trump threatens to sue California over redistricting plan favoring Democrats

President Donald Trump speaks to the press after signing an executive order that aims to end cashless bail, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 25, 2025. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2025 — President Donald Trump announced plans to sue California over its proposed redistricting plan, which could add five Democratic congressional seats, branding it a partisan power grab. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the Department of Justice would file the lawsuit soon, expressing confidence in its success. The move comes as a direct response to California’s effort to counter a Texas redistricting plan, backed by Trump, that aims to secure five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House for the 2026 midterms.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, who signed the redistricting bills on August 21, 2025, defended the plan as a necessary response to Texas’s actions, which he claims rig the electoral map in favor of Republicans. The California proposal, which requires voter approval in a November special election, would redraw congressional districts to bolster Democratic incumbents and potentially flip five GOP-held seats. Newsom responded to Trump’s threat on X, writing, “BRING IT,” signaling defiance.

The escalating redistricting battle between California and Texas has sparked a national debate over partisan gerrymandering. Texas’s Republican-controlled legislature passed its map, which does not require voter approval, to strengthen GOP control of the House, where Republicans currently hold a slim 219-212 majority with four vacant seats. Trump, who urged Texas to redraw its maps, claimed on Truth Social that the GOP is “entitled” to five more seats after his 2024 election victory. California’s plan, however, faces legal and logistical hurdles, as it bypasses the state’s independent redistricting commission, prompting criticism from figures like former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Legal experts question the basis for Trump’s lawsuit, suggesting the Justice Department might argue that California’s map violates the Voting Rights Act or the one-man-one-vote principle by counting non-citizens in apportionment. Meanwhile, Texas Democrats have filed a lawsuit against their state’s map, alleging racial discrimination and unconstitutional mid-decade redistricting. Other states, including New York, Maryland, and Ohio, are considering similar redistricting efforts, raising fears of a nationwide “redistricting bonanza” ahead of the 2026 elections.

The conflict highlights tensions over congressional map-drawing, typically done once per decade after the Census. Critics, including California Republicans and some Democrats, argue that mid-decade redistricting undermines democratic fairness. A recent UC Berkeley poll shows 48% of California voters support Newsom’s plan, with 36% opposed and 20% undecided, indicating a divided electorate as the November vote approaches.