Trump turns up heat on defecting Republicans as he calls into private meeting: report

President Donald Trump called into a private meeting of Indiana state senate Republicans to pressure them personally to enact an all-Republican Congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, the New York Times reported.

Indiana's Republicans have publicly resisted Trump's extraordinary demands for a mid-decade realignment of the nation's Congressional maps to assure his party retains House control in 2026. State legislators in Texas and Missouri complied with Trump with little or no resistance.

"Mr. Trump was expected to ask the state lawmakers to support a new map that would eliminate the state’s two Democratic districts and give Republicans all nine congressional seats," the Times reported, citing anonymous sources.

"Vice President JD Vance has made two separate trips to Indiana to meet with state lawmakers and make the case for why the state should redraw the maps. Mr. Trump’s involvement signals that the White House is concerned that not all Republican lawmakers in Indiana are on board with the plan."

Trump's call to a private meeting of the Indiana Senate Republican caucus today "follows a new push by late MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point Action this week to ramp up pressure on Indiana lawmakers who oppose mid-cycle redistricting," Politico reported.

Recent polling in Indiana has found state residents overwhelmingly opposed to mid-decade redistricting — by a 53-to-34 percent margin — according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.