The White House had two major events on the schedule Tuesday. The first was important to President Trump’s ego: a televised cabinet meeting in which various secretaries lavished him with praise for several hours. The second was important to the rest of the country: administration officials meeting with Indiana lawmakers, as the White House pressures them into redrawing the state’s congressional maps ahead of next fall’s midterms.
The contrast was telling: Though Trump and his acolytes claim to the cameras that he is the most successful and most popular president ever, their fears of voters’ upcoming verdicts suggest they don’t believe their own hype.
Formally, the White House invitation to the Indiana lawmakers did “not include redistricting as a topic of discussion,” according to the Indianapolis Star. However, the Star notes, “the visit comes just weeks after Vice President JD Vance visited the Indiana Statehouse to speak with Gov. Mike Braun and Republican legislative leaders about redrawing the Hoosier State’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.” And Politico reported last week that both Trump’s political operation and MAGA influencer Charlie Krik have floated primarying Indiana Republicans who don’t go along with drawing new maps.
This is a preview of James Downie's latest column. Read the full column here.
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