Democrats in cities protest 'redistricting'

Over 300 rallies against Trump

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Thousands gathered in cities across the country Saturday to protest President Donald Trump's plan to keep control of Congress after the 2026 midterms by pushing Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps in favour of Republicans.

The president's push for the rare and aggressively partisan redistricting, while centred on Texas so far, has set off a furious response among many Democratic state leaders and party activists. In California, Gov Gavin Newsom said Friday that he was moving forward with a plan to redraw his state’s lines, and allow voters to approve it in November.

On Saturday, progressive activists, labour groups and pro-democracy organisations put together more than 300 political events and rallies, looking to galvanize voters who may be angry at the Trump administration but may view the process of redrawing district lines as opaque and unrelated to their concerns.

"We need to have as many protests in this country as possible," said Cheryl Merzel, 72, a retired public health professor who attended a rally outside a Trump hotel in New York City.