President Donald J. Trump signaled that the FBI might need to intervene after Texas Democrats once again attempted to derail the democratic process by fleeing the state to obstruct a redistricting vote — a move that could ultimately reduce their political stronghold.

In an all-too-familiar playbook, Democrats in the Texas legislature — despite being the minority — exited the state to block a quorum, effectively grinding legislative business to a halt. As NPR pointed out, this isn’t the first time Democrats have resorted to theatrics. Similar stunts occurred in 2003 and again in 2021, delaying—but not stopping—legislation they opposed.

When asked Tuesday whether the FBI should be involved in locating and returning the missing lawmakers, President Trump didn’t mince words.

“Well, they may have to,” he stated during a press event, according to a post on X.

“They may have to. No, I know they want them back. Not only the attorney general, the governor wants them back. If you look, I mean the governor of Texas is demanding they come back. So, a lot of people are demanding they come back,” Trump said.

“You can’t just sit it out. You have to go back. You have to fight it out. That’s what elections are all about.”

Trump also pointed to the optics of the Democrats' behavior.

“Well, I think they’ve abandoned the state,” he told Fox News. “Looks very bad.”

At the heart of the standoff is a redistricting plan that could give Texas Republicans up to five new House seats — a critical shift ahead of the 2026 midterms. When asked whether this would provoke retaliation from deep-blue states, Trump dismissed the notion.

“They’ll do it anyway,” he said.
“Look, a lot of these states, you know, I watched this morning as Democrats are complaining, and they’re complaining from states where they’ve done it, like in Illinois, like in Massachusetts,” he continued.
“The Democrats have done it long before we started. They’ve done it all over the place. They did it in New York. They did it in a lot of different states.”

The President also praised Texas’s commitment to free-market principles and slammed liberal-run states for their socialist leanings.

“Texas is a place that’s done very well with a free enterprise kind of an attitude, with the exact opposite of what’s happening in New York with a communist mayor,” Trump said.
“And they know what they’re doing. And they’re doing the right thing... We have a wonderful governor in Texas. He feels strongly about it. It’s going to be up to him.”

Earlier in the day, U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas raised the idea of federal assistance to return the rogue lawmakers. In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, Cornyn stated:

“In a representative democracy, we resolve our differences by debating and voting, not by running away.”

He added, “I request the FBI’s assistance, as federal resources are necessary to locate the out-of-state Texas legislators who are potentially acting in violation of the law.” According to The Hill, Cornyn pressed for accountability:
“These legislators have committed potential criminal acts in their rush to avoid their constitutional responsibilities and must be fully investigated and held accountable.”

Governor Greg Abbott, standing firm in defense of law and order, has already issued orders to arrest the absent lawmakers under civil arrest warrants from the Texas legislature.

Yet, with Democrats reportedly hiding in far-left states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York, USA Today noted the uncertainty of whether these liberal jurisdictions would cooperate with Texas law enforcement.