Vice President JD Vance delivered a primer to NBC News anchor Kristen Welker during Sunday morning’s broadcast of “Meet the Press,” explaining why so many Republican-controlled states were moving to draw new congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The move, he said, was a response to decades of Democratic gerrymandering.

Vance pointed to a few key states where because illegal aliens were counted for the purposes of apportionment, those illegal aliens were getting congressional representation at the expense of legal American citizens — and he argued that what Republicans were doing was simply making an effort to balance the scales.

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“All we’re doing, frankly, is trying to make the situation a little bit more fair,” says @VP on redistricting.

“Democrats have gerrymandered their states really aggressively. We think there are opportunities to push back against that, and that’s really all we’re doing.” pic.twitter.com/q06A8CkniT

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025

“All we’re doing, frankly, is trying to make the situation a little bit more fair,” Vance said of the efforts that began with the newly-passed map in Texas.

“Democrats have gerrymandered their states really aggressively. We think there are opportunities to push back against that, and that’s really all we’re doing,” he added, noting that Democrats in states like Massachusetts, Illinois, and California had been tipping the congressional maps over the last two decades.

Vance went on to point out that part of that imbalance was the result of illegal aliens being counted in the official census — which is used to apportion representation.

“We’re literally losing representatives for American citizens in order to give congressional representation to illegal aliens,” he said, adding, “Republicans are trying to balance out the scales a little bit for basic fairness and for the integrity of our democracy.”

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“We’re literally losing representatives for American citizens in order to give congressional representation to illegal aliens,” says @VP.

“Republicans are trying to balance out the scales a little bit for basic fairness and for the integrity of our democracy.” pic.twitter.com/uxxDXQJege

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025

Welker pushed back then, saying that “of course” illegal aliens were not allowed to vote.

“They’re not eligible to vote,” Vance agreed. “But they do go in the congressional apportionment. That’s why California has so many more seats is because they count illegal aliens … They end up getting congressional representation that ought, by right, go to American citizens.”

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.@VP on illegal aliens in the Census: “They do go in the congressional apportionment. That’s why California has so many more seats is because they count illegal aliens… They end up getting congressional representation that ought, by right, go to American citizens.” pic.twitter.com/Lfu3kYaM6N

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he would put an end to illegal aliens being counted in the census.

President Donald Trump targeted Governor Wes Moore (D-MD) in a post on Sunday morning, lashing out at him over an invitation to “walk the streets” in Maryland and saying that he would not do so until Moore took steps to clean up crime.

Trump took aim at Moore — who has been floated as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — in a post shared first on his Truth Social platform, comparing him to another of the Democratic Party’s top prospects (California Governor Gavin Newsom) in the process.

pic.twitter.com/hU4FkGqZov

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 24, 2025

“Governor Wes Moore of Maryland has asked, in a rather nasty and provocative tone, that I ‘walk the streets of Maryland’ with him,” Trump began. “I assume he is talking about out of control, crime ridden, Baltimore?”

“As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this Crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk,'” Trump continued, arguing that Moore should have to clean up the city before he asked the President of the United States to join him there. “Wes Moore’s record on Crime is a very bad one, unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other ‘Blue States’ are doing.”

The president went on to jab at Newsom (D-CA), saying that he could always send troops into Baltimore like he’d done in Los Angeles.

“But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime. After only one week, there is NO CRIME AND NO MURDER IN DC! When it is like that in Baltimore, I will proudly ‘walk the streets’ with the failing, because of Crime, Governor of Maryland,” Trump added.

“P.S. Baltimore is ranked the 4th WORST CITY IN THE NATION IN CRIME & MURDER. Stop talking and get to work, Wes,” he concluded. “I’ll then see you on the streets!!! Also, I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge. I will now have to rethink that decision??? Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DJT.”

Trump has also suggested that he will send troops to Chicago in an effort to bring down the violent crime rate there as well.