‘We’re Literally Losing Representatives’: Vance Explains GOP Redistricting Efforts To NBC Host

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.

WATCH:

“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.”

WATCH:

“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.”

WATCH:

.@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.