President Donald Trump joins Indiana Republicans call on redistricting

INDIANAPOLIS — President Donald Trump is weighing in on Indiana’s redistricting conversation.

In a conversation first reported by the New York Times and Politico, FOX59/CBS4 confirmed that Trump invited Indiana Senate Republicans to participate in a phone call surrounding redistricting on Friday, where he encouraged lawmakers on the topic.

According to previous reports,

federal officials aim to redistrict Indiana mid-decade to remove Indiana’s two Democratic seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, stressing their belief that this would help give Republicans an easier path to a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Trump joined Vice President J.D. Vance and other federal officials who have encouraged Indiana Republicans to continue the redistricting conversation. In the last few months, Vance traveled to Indiana twice, and Indiana state Republicans traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk redistricting, as well as other topics.

In a post on social media from Indiana State Senator Liz Brown, a Republican from Fort Wayne, Brown said that she reportedly told Trump that she supports the state’s redistricting plans.

“I urge my colleagues to stand with me as we move ahead to protect our conservative values,” Brown’s post read. “Let’s get this done.”

In response to the redistricting efforts, Democrats in Indiana have been outspoken in their opposition, openly calling the efforts “unethical” and a “blatant attempt to cheat Hoosiers out of fair representation.”

A poll recently released by Independent Indiana also stated that the majority of Indiana residents oppose redistricting efforts mid-decade. According to previous reports, 53% of respondents stated they opposed the efforts, while 34% stated they were in support of redistricting.

To move forward with redistricting efforts, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun would have to call a special session of the Indiana General Assembly. As of this story’s publication, a special session has not yet been called.