President Trump says CNN should be sold as part of deal with Warner Bros.
President Donald Trump has attacked CNN, whose parent company is facing a possible takeover, saying it is “essential” that the news network be sold.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says he hopes the top Republican in the Indiana Senate loses the next primary after the state rejected a pro-Trump congressional redistricting plan.
In a speech from the Oval Office on December 11, President Trump singled out Indiana Senate President Pro Tempore Roderick Bray, one of the 21 Republican senators who voted to reject the redistricting bill in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“He’s probably going to lose in the next primary,” Trump said. “I hope he does, because he did something very bad.”
Trump added: “I will definitely support anyone who tries to run against me.” Bray, who represents Indiana’s 37th Senate District, is seeking re-election in 2028.
The Indiana Senate’s 31-19 rejection of the redistricting bill marks a major setback for President Trump’s mid-decade gerrymandering strategy to keep Republicans in control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections. The bill would create two new Republican districts, giving Republicans control of all nine of the state’s congressional districts.
Nevertheless, Trump sought to downplay the results and minimize his involvement. Ahead of the vote, Trump publicly pressured Republicans to support the bill and even dispatched Vice President J.D. Vance to the Hoosier State.
“I wasn’t very engaged, which may have been a good thing,” Trump said, later adding, “I wasn’t very involved.”
Despite Republicans having a supermajority in the chamber, President Trump was unable to persuade enough of Indiana’s Republican senators to approve his redistricting plan. The 21 Republicans who voted against the bill outnumbered the 19 who voted for it.
President Trump ignited a national redistricting fight over the summer by persuading Republicans in Texas that they urgently needed to draw new congressional maps, even though there was no new census data to prompt such a move.
California voters then overwhelmingly approved a move to redraw the map, arguing that the measure was a way to negate Texas’ gains by adding five blue-leaning districts. Other states controlled by Republicans and Democrats have recently begun redistricting efforts.
“It’s a great place. I love the people. They love me. We won in landslides all three times. We got a tremendous turnout. We got a record turnout,” Trump said of Indiana, before returning to his disappointment with Republican senators who voted against the bill. “There’s no reason to do that. And the Democrats are making us do that.”
Contributor: USA TODAY’s Terry Collins
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
