President Donald Trump says Republicans are “entitled” to five more House seats in Texas — and he’s demanding action to make it happen.
“We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats,” Trump said Tuesday on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas. I got the highest vote in the history of Texas, as you probably know, and we are entitled to five more seats.”
He argued that even though he won more than a third of the vote in places like Massachusetts, Republicans hold zero seats there — and barely any in Illinois — because of heavily skewed district lines.
“We should have many more seats in California. It’s all gerrymandered,” he said. “You notice they go to Illinois for safety, but that’s all gerrymandered.”
Now, President Trump wants Republicans in Texas to redraw their own lines — and flip five Democrat-held seats. Governor Greg Abbott has called a special legislative session to push through a new congressional map that could make it happen.
But Texas House Democrats aren’t letting it go without a fight. They fled the state before the session began, traveling to Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts to block the vote by denying quorum.
They say the move is necessary to stop what they’re calling “blatant racism.”
Abbott has responded with threats of fines and imprisonment. Texas law allows a $500 fine for each day lawmakers skip a session. He’s also ordered their arrests and told the Texas Rangers to investigate possible bribery tied to donations that may have helped cover those fines.
Meanwhile, blue states like California and New York say they’ll redraw their own maps — to squeeze out more Republican seats and protect Democrats in Congress if Texas moves forward with rigging the state.
But Trump insists that the GOP has every right to reshape Texas to secure the House majority.
Listen to Trump’s remarks below:
Trump: "We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats … I got the highest vote in the history of Texas as you probably know. And we are entitled to five more seats." pic.twitter.com/ah8PJThPpv
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 5, 2025
