Summary
- Trump claims Republicans are entitled to five more House seats.
- Bases claim on Texas voting and redistricting efforts.
- Texas governor, GOP have strong support and chance.
- Democrats accuse the GOP of gerrymandering to gain advantage.
- Trump criticizes blue states for skewed congressional maps.
In an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," he implied that Texas's efforts to draw new congressional districts that would be advantageous to Republican candidates are justified by his performance in Texas during the previous year's presidential election.
“We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas,”
Trump said.
“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.”
Trump received the most votes ever in November—6,393,597—from Texans. However, the state's proposed redrawing of congressional districts has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans who say Texas is attempting to gerrymander them.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder said in a statement Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott are cheating the 2026 midterm elections, through which Republicans will try to stay in the majority of the House.
“I can’t think of a better word to describe someone like Donald Trump than 'entitled,’ but that doesn’t mean he’s 'entitled' to congressional seats,”
Scudder said.
“Donald Trump is trying to steal 5 seats in Congress to avoid accountability in the 2026 midterm election."
According to reports, Republican former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has also voiced opposition to Texas's and his state's plans to redistrict congressional districts. According to Politico, he referred to the initiatives as a "race to the bottom" through a spokeswoman.
During his interview, the president asserted that California and other Democratic-controlled states are already "gerrymandered." He used Massachusetts' Democratic-controlled congressional representation as an example.
How does Trump's claim about Texas seats relate to the overall redistricting fight?
President Donald Trump's claim that Republicans are "entitled to five more seats" in Texas directly relates to the ongoing high-stakes redistricting fight in the state. The redistricting plan proposed by Texas Republicans would redraw congressional district boundaries in a way that could net the GOP up to five additional House seats, significantly strengthening their chances to maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 midterms.
This plan has sparked intense controversy because it is perceived as a partisan gerrymander designed to favor Republicans.
The claim reflects Trump's strong political influence on the redistricting process in Texas, where he has pushed for a map that increases Republican seats.