Trump Urges GOP to Redraw Maps After Supreme Court Ruling Weakens Voting Rights Act

President Donald Trump at the White House on April 30, 2026, in Washington, DC. | Samir Hussein/Getty Images

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.

Trump Calls for Redistricting Push After Supreme Court Ruling

Welcome to The Logoff: Following a major Supreme Court decision, President Donald Trump is urging Republicans to redraw congressional maps even more aggressively to secure additional seats in Congress.

What’s Happening?

On Thursday, Trump posted that Tennessee’s governor would “work hard to correct” the state’s congressional map to “give us one extra seat” in Congress.

This is the latest sign that, after the Supreme Court’s new ruling, Republicans are moving to pick up more seats ahead of the 2026 midterms by gerrymandering multiple states, including Tennessee, Louisiana, and Florida.

What’s the Context?

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Louisiana v. Callais to strike down a provision of the Voting Rights Act that banned racial gerrymandering.

As my colleague Ian Millhiser explained, the upshot of the ruling isn’t just that the Court’s six conservative justices have further weakened the Voting Rights Act; the decision is a full-throated endorsement of the most aggressive gerrymandering schemes possible, and Republican politicians — including Trump — are taking note.

How Did This Start?

Trump initiated this push last year when his White House pressured Texas into a rare mid-decade redistricting scheme. Texas successfully created about five more Republican seats in the U.S. House by redrawing its maps, but it also launched a wider political battle.

How’s the Math Looking?

Until recently, redistricting appeared to backfire on Republicans or at best end in a stalemate. Earlier this month, Virginia voters approved a referendum to draw new maps creating four additional Democratic seats, giving Democrats a slight national edge.

Since then, however, Florida has entered the fray; earlier this week, its legislature passed new maps that net four new Republican seats. On Thursday, Louisiana also suspended its congressional primaries to redraw its maps in response to the Callais decision. If Tennessee Republicans follow through on Trump’s post, the GOP could gain another seat.

Sunset in Washington, DC: A Rare Treat

Hi readers — if you, like me, live in Washington, DC, I have some good news for you. Today, the sun will set at 8 pm here for the first time this year, and we won’t get a sunset earlier than 8 pm again until August. With that in mind, let’s go log off and enjoy some sunshine — we’ll see you back here in May (which is, somehow, tomorrow).