Obama slams Texas GOP gerrymandering as ‘power grab’ undermining democracy, urges redistricting pushback

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Barack Obama is sounding the alarm over a Donald Trump-backed redistricting plan in Texas, calling it a “power grab” designed to tip the scales in favor of Republicans. The controversial proposal aims to secure five additional GOP congressional seats ahead of the next midterm elections.

Obama urged Democrats to push back, warning that the move poses a serious threat to democracy. Meanwhile, Trump defended the strategy, claiming Republicans are entitled to the extra seats and even floated the idea of applying a similar tactic in California. 

Barack Obama urges Texas Democrats to oppose the redistricting plans

In a repost on X, former President Barack Obama urged Texas Democrats to oppose the proposed changes to the state’s voting map.

He wrote, “We can’t lose focus on what matters, right now, Republicans in Texas are trying to gerrymander district lines to unfairly win five seats in next year’s midterm elections. This is a power grab that undermines our democracy.”

Obama shared content from All On The Line, a campaign affiliated with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), to promote an upcoming online event focused on redistricting efforts.

GOP map fight leads to quorum break, legal threats

Texas Republicans’ redistricting proposal has ignited broader discussions about changing electoral maps in other states and prompted Texas Democrats to flee the state in protest.

Over the weekend, Democratic lawmakers broke quorum in a last-ditch effort to block the plan, leaving the Texas House without enough members to proceed after the GOP-backed map passed committee strictly along party lines. Their move could carry serious consequences.

Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to locate, arrest, and return the absent legislators. He also threatened them with $500-per-day fines and has hinted at possible bribery charges.  

Trump says Republicans had to secure five congressional seats in Texas

On August 5, President Donald Trump backed Senator John Cornyn’s (R-Texas) call to involve the FBI in locating Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a controversial redistricting vote.

Speaking earlier that day on CNBC’s 'Squawk Box,' Trump asserted that Republicans had a right to secure five additional congressional seats in Texas. He also suggested deploying similar redistricting tactics in California, a Democratic stronghold.

In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Governor Kathy Hochul signaled their readiness to retaliate. Both leaders indicated they would consider launching off-cycle redistricting plans in their own states if Texas Republicans proceed with the remap.

“It’s cause and effect, triggered on the basis of what occurs or doesn’t occur in Texas,” Newsom said. “I hope they do the right thing, and if they do, then there’ll be no cause for us to have to move forward."

Internet divided over Obama’s criticism of Texas Republicans' gerrymandering plan

Barack Obama's recent post criticizing Texas Republicans' plan to gerrymander district lines has sparked a heated online debate, amassing over 11.2 million views and more than 11,000 comments. Reactions were sharply divided.

One user wrote sarcastically, “So when Democrats do it, it’s redistricting. When Republicans do it, it’s ‘undermining democracy.’ Got it.”

Supporters of Obama also weighed in. One wrote, “Republicans can't win a presidential election without gerrymandering. That's a proven fact.”

Another praised the former president’s stance, saying, “Thank you for speaking out. I agree! We must fight back!”

Critics, however, pushed back. One user replied, “You love redistricting when it benefits you,” while another added, “But it’s fine when Democrats did the same thing in other states? Hypocrite.”

Others stood firmly with Obama. “Exactly right, President Obama,” one commenter wrote. “Weak politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing them. Gerrymandering is suppression. Texas voters deserve fair maps, not partisan manipulation. But Democrats need to match their energy—if not, we don’t have any chance of winning the majority in midterms or ever.”

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.