'Donald Trump has 24 hours': Gavin Newsom threatens Trump over California, Texas redistricting

Governor Gavin Newsom is demanding that President Donald Trump respond to his threat to redraw the California congressional district maps, as President Donald Trump and others in the GOP have been pushing to redraw district maps in Texas and other states for Republicans to pick up a few more seats in Congress in the 2026 midterms. 

Newsom wrote in the letter, dated August 11, "I am writing to ask you to call on the governor of Texas and other red states, who are acting on your request to draw new congressional maps through an unprecedented, mid-decade hyper-partisan gerrymander to rig the upcoming term elections, to stop those efforts."

"You are playing with fire, risking the destabilization of our democracy, while knowing that California can neutralize any gains you hope to make. This attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power before a single vote is cast in the 2026 election is an affront to American democracy," the letter said, adding, "This is not what the Founders envisioned, and California cannot stand idly by as this power grab unfolds. I do not do this lightly, as I believe legislative district maps should be drawn by independent, citizen-led efforts, as we have done in California for the last two decades.”

After the letter was sent, the press office said Monday evening that Trump had "24 hours left to respond to Governor Newsom's letter," and that if the president does not respond, Newsom plans to hold a "very important press conference this week with a major announcement!"

In Texas, Trump has said that if some districts are redrawn, it could yield up to five congressional seats in the 2026 midterms for the GOP. Texas has started efforts to do so under the direction of Governor Greg Abbott, and other Democrat-led states, including California, New York, and Massachusetts have threatened to redistrict in response.