California governor Gavin Newsom says the state will draw new electoral maps after Donald Trump “missed” a deadline

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state will move forward with drawing new electoral maps after Donald Trump “missed” a Tuesday night deadline in a heated redistricting dispute between Democratic and Republican-led states. In a pointed social media post, Newsom’s office wrote in all caps, mimicking Trump’s online style: “DONALD ‘TACO’ TRUMP, AS MANY CALL HIM, ‘MISSED’ THE DEADLINE!!! CALIFORNIA WILL NOW DRAW NEW, MORE ‘BEAUTIFUL MAPS.’ THEY WILL BE HISTORIC AS THEY WILL END THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY (DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE!)” The message added that a “BIG PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK WITH POWERFUL DEMS AND GAVIN NEWSOM — YOUR FAVORITE GOVERNOR — WILL BE DEVASTATING FOR ‘MAGA.’”

The nickname “Taco,” short for “Trump always chickens out,” was part of Newsom’s taunt, poking fun at what he described as Trump’s shifting deadlines. The move comes amid a broader redistricting fight in which Democratic leaders, including Newsom, warned they would create retaliatory maps if Texas advanced its own controversial redistricting plan. Although the Texas Senate approved a new congressional map on Tuesday, the measure cannot pass the full legislature due to a quorum break by Democrats. Governor Greg Abbott has already pledged to call a new special session once lawmakers adjourn Friday.

In a letter sent to Trump on Monday, Newsom said he preferred congressional map-making to remain in the hands of independent commissions rather than partisan legislatures, and offered to “happily” stand down if other states halted their efforts. However, he warned, “California cannot stand idly by as this power grab unfolds.” His office underscored the point in another sarcastic, all-caps post: “DONALD TRUMP, IF YOU DO NOT STAND DOWN, WE WILL BE FORCED TO LEAD AN EFFORT TO REDRAW THE MAPS IN CA TO OFFSET THE RIGGING OF MAPS IN RED STATES. BUT IF THE OTHER STATES CALL OFF THEIR REDISTRICTING EFFORTS, WE WILL DO THE SAME.”

At a press conference alongside Texas lawmakers who broke quorum and California’s legislative leaders, Newsom laid out his plan to ask voters to replace the state’s independent commission-drawn maps with a new proposal adding five Democratic-leaning seats. He expressed confidence that voters would approve the change and said the legislature would move quickly to place the measure on the ballot this November.