Well, former President Donald Trump has already instructed the U.S. Commerce Department to start up a new, alternative census. For the first time, this census will explicitly exclude people who are currently undocumented. His announcement Thursday would be a major step in his administration’s years-long crusade to remake the decennial survey.
The decennial census serves as the foundation for determining the number of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and for distributing federal aid. False Trump promised that people who are undocumented will not be counted in the new census. This statement confirms his administration’s prior stance on the issue.
In a jointer on Truth Social, Trump described the proposed people’s census as a “new and very precise CENSUS.” He made his announcement after unsuccessfully pursuing adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The U.S. Supreme Court put a stop to that effort. Trump’s renewed push fits hand-in-hand with his original campaign’s call for mass deportations and other harsh policies.
Trump has supported Texas Republicans who want to re-draw their state’s congressional map. This new redistricting plan seems tailor made to improve Republican odds going into the 2026 midterm elections. During an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Trump claimed that the U.S. should get five more seats all in Texas. He focused his argument, however, on recent shifts in population.
“People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS” – Donald Trump
The push for redistricting has sparked significant political tension in Texas, with Democrats fleeing the state to prevent a vote on the new map. The tension became combustible this week when differences about the redistricting process exploded into a full-blown crisis.
Since redistricting only happens every ten years after the census is counted, this change would already be a real game-changer. Trump’s focus – pure and simple – on immigration issues and representation shows how serious he is about reworking how congressional districts are drawn.