White House goes hands-off in Virginia redistricting fight, despite pressure from Speaker Johnson

Published April 18, 2026 6:00am ET



President Donald Trump seems unlikely to insert himself into the ongoing redistricting fight in Virginia, despite requests from Republican leadership to campaign against the referendum vote next week.

According to two Trump world insiders, the White House has been under steady pressure from Republican officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), to do more to campaign against a Democratic-led constitutional amendment. If the Tuesday amendment is passed, it would allow the Democratic state legislature to temporarily bypass a bipartisan commission and redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of November’s midterm elections.

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