President Donald Trump says he will use federal government to block California’s plan to redraw its congressional map. Speaking from the White House on Monday, Trump said he plans to involve the Justice Department to stop what he calls a “political power grab” by Democrats.
“I think I’m going to be filing a lawsuit pretty soon, and I think we’re going to be very successful in it. We’re going to [be] filing it through the Department of Justice, that’s going to happen,” Trump told reporters.
California’s Legislature, dominated by Democrats, approved Governor Gavin Newsom’s redistricting plan last week. It’s now set to appear on the November ballot. Trump says the move is designed to rig the state’s congressional lines in favor of Democrats—and he wants the federal government to step in.
But redistricting wasn’t his only target.
Trump also blasted the long-standing Senate “blue slip” tradition, where a single senator can block judicial and U.S. attorney appointments in their home state. He called it outdated and undemocratic.
“We’re also going to be filing a lawsuit on blue slipping. You know, blue slips make it impossible for me as president to appoint a judge or a U.S. attorney because they have a gentleman’s agreement, nothing memorialized, it’s a gentleman’s agreement that’s about 100 years old where if you have a president, like a Republican, and if you have a Democrat senator, that senator can stop you from appointing a judge or a U.S. attorney in particular, those two,” Trump said.
“You’ll be hearing about the blue slipping. Because if you have — you don’t need two senators, you just need one Democrat senator with a Republican,” he added.
Trump says the DOJ is going to sue to stop California's redistricting effort pic.twitter.com/bAhGVpWdz2
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 25, 2025
His frustration boiled over after having to withdraw the nomination of his former defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as U.S. attorney in New Jersey. Democratic senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim blocked her nomination—fueling Trump’s anger over the blue slip policy.
“The only person I will be able to get approved in any of those states where you have a Democrat, I can’t get a U.S. attorney, I can only get a Democrat U.S. attorney. And this is based on an old custom, its not based on a law, and I think it’s unconstitutional, and I’ll probably be filing a suit on that soon,” Trump said.
The redistricting fight in California could turn into a major legal battle ahead of the 2026 midterms. Governor Newsom pushed the move in response to Texas Republicans redrawing their map to lock in a House majority for Trump.
