Trump Backs Texas Map Redo, Says GOP ‘Entitled’ to Five More Seats

President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended a Republican drive to redraw Texas’s 38 congressional districts before the 2026 midterm elections, telling CNBC that because he "got the highest vote in the history of Texas" the party is "entitled to five more seats." The plan, backed by Governor Greg Abbott, would convert portions of the state’s fast-growing urban and suburban areas into safe Republican districts, potentially expanding the GOP’s narrow 220-212 advantage in the U.S. House. Democratic state legislators have left Austin to deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass the map, forcing the session to a standstill. From Illinois, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said the party is "ready to fight fire with fire," while governors in California, New York and Illinois signaled they may revise their own maps in response. The confrontation underscores a broader partisan arms race over redistricting as both parties look for structural advantages ahead of 2026.