Republican leadership just got a political flamethrower pointed at them, and President Trump is the one squeezing the trigger. On Sunday he went after two “RINO Senators” along with Gov. Mike Braun for letting the state’s redistricting push crash and burn. For a state that prides itself on being reliably red, watching a golden opportunity for two extra GOP congressional seats go up in smoke is the kind of thing that was guaranteed to draw Trump’s attention.
Braun had been lobbying lawmakers for months. He finally called a special session to force movement, only to watch the whole thing stall out when Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray admitted Republicans still didn’t have the votes. With that, the chamber scrapped its planned Dec. 1 meeting. That didn’t sit well with President Trump, who blasted state Senate Republicans for refusing to act. He wrote that he was “very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, led by RINO Senators Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not wanting to redistrict their State, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats.”
He reminded everyone that Democrats have been redistricting aggressively for years, often skating right up to the legal line. He said other GOP led states have already taken care of business, then accused Bray, Goode, and a few others of risking the Republican House majority in 2026. Coming from President Trump, that is not exactly a gentle tap on the wrist.
Hours after Trump named Goode, the senator found himself on the receiving end of a swatting incident at his Vigo County home. Deputies responded to what they believed was a domestic violence emergency. Goode kept his statement calm, crediting the officers for doing their duty and thanking God his family was safe. It still underscores how heated the atmosphere has become.
President Trump has been pushing GOP states to redraw their maps while blue states bulk up their own. He pointed to California’s move to add five seats and blasted “weak Republicans” for letting Democrats run wild with policies that are dragging the country in the wrong direction. Even Braun wasn’t spared. Trump said, “Considering that Mike wouldn’t be Governor without me, is disappointing!”
He wrapped things up by encouraging primary challenges against any Republican who stands in the way of redistricting. Indiana voters, he said, want to make America great again, and their legislators should act accordingly. As of now, 13 Senate Republicans back the effort while eight remain publicly opposed, and that gap is starting to look like the real story.
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