Princeton University professor Eddie Glaude Jr. claimed during a rant on MSNBC Wednesday that Texas Republicans were engaged in a “racist agenda” pushed by President Donald Trump.
The Texas House of Representatives will vote on a new congressional map after Democrats returned to the state after fleeing to states like New York and Illinois, attempting to thwart a special session of the body to consider redistricting that could net Republicans up to five seats in the United States House of Representatives. Glaude told MSNBC host Chris Jansing the redistricting was similar to Trump’s efforts to contest the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. (RELATED: Greg Abbott Fact-Checks Jasmine Crockett’s ‘Racist’ Redistricting Claims)
“It’s an echo of the past, but it’s also a kind of reflection of the crisis that we find ourselves in. We cannot disentangle what’s happening in Texas from Trump’s demand that Texas find him five new seats. That’s similar to the call to the secretary of state in Georgia, right?” Glaude claimed. “So it’s part of this process of undermining democratic norms that we feel in this moment. But we also need to see it as well as part of a broader strategy, I think, of really disenfranchising black and brown voters, of dismantling, I think, the infrastructure of the civil rights movement and its legal infrastructure, I would say.”
WATCH:
“And so — because think about it, Chris, 4.3 million black people live in Texas, the largest number of black folk in any state, in any country, and in the union. And look at that districting map,” Glaude continued. “How are their voices going to be represented? So I want us to understand what we’re seeing not only in Texas, but around the country as a part of racial gerrymandering, as part of the racialist and racist agenda of the Trump Administration. I know we want to talk about it simply in terms of politics, but there’s something insidious underneath it all.”
Trump carried 46% of the Hispanic vote, 40% of the Asian vote and 13% of the black vote in 2024, according to CNN’s exit poll. In 2020, Trump carried 32% of Hispanic voters, 34% of Asian voters and 12% of black voters, according to CNN’s exit poll.
By comparison, in CNN’s 2016 exit poll, Trump only received 28% of the Hispanic vote, 27% of the Asian vote and 8% of the black vote. In Texas, Trump made substantial gains in southern Texas, carrying districts represented by moderate Hispanic Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vincente Gonzales.
“I want to give people, Eddie, a visual example of how maps like the ones in Texas dilute the strength of some voters, boost the strength of others,” Jansing said. “Just an example, 2024. President Trump beat Harris in Texas by 56-42 percent. 71 percent of voters in that district that backed Trump, under these new maps, it would be an even greater advantage, 79 percent. Is that what a representative democracy should look like?”
“No, absolutely not. And part of what we’re witnessing over and over again, right, is the dismantling of the basic foundations of our democratic process,” Glaude claimed. “And so I think we have to ring the alarm. We can’t get caught up in the spectacle of it all. We have to understand the deliberate, the targeted, with precision, ways in which these folk are acting. And what we’re seeing in Texas, from, you know, the kidnapping of state representatives to having to sign permission slips, to having highway patrol, you know, accompany, you know, legislators, all of this doesn’t bode well for the state of our democracy.” (RELATED: ‘Have They Been Rigged?’: Scott Jennings Lists Blue States Where Dems Dominate Congressional Maps)
Former Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York claimed the “stress” of dealing with racism caused black people to develop a myriad of diseases, including cancer and diabetes during a June CNN appearance discussing the Texas redistricting effort.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder and former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas both claimed that Trump would use the Texas redistricting to secure a third presidential term in office. Under the 22nd Amendment, Trump is ineligible to run for a third term due to his victorious 2016 and 2024 campaigns for the White House.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
