Fact check: Has any other president tried to redistricting to ensure seats in congress

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, President Donald Trump is currently backing Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas ^[1]. The sources confirm that Trump's administration is actively involved in what Harvard Kennedy School describes as a "mid-decade redistricting push in Texas" ^[2]. This represents a significant escalation in presidential involvement in redistricting efforts.

The current redistricting battle extends beyond just Texas, with several states including Indiana, Missouri, and Florida considering redrawing their congressional maps, while Democratic governors in Illinois, New York, and Maryland are also exploring their options ^[3]. California Democrats have responded by passing a redistricting bill specifically to counter Trump's Texas gerrymander ^[4].

However, the analyses reveal a critical gap: none of the sources provide historical context on whether other presidents have previously tried to redistrict to ensure congressional seats ^{[1] [3]}. The sources focus primarily on current events and do not address the historical precedent aspect of the original question.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses lack crucial historical perspective that would properly answer the question. While one source mentions the creation of majority-minority districts in the 1990s and notes that the Congressional Black Caucus supported these districts ^[5], it does not specifically address presidential involvement in redistricting efforts throughout American history.

The sources suggest that gerrymandering itself is not new, but the scale and effectiveness have increased due to advanced data and computing techniques ^[2]. This indicates that while redistricting has occurred before, the current methods and presidential involvement may represent an unprecedented approach.

Republicans currently have more opportunities to gerrymander House districts than Democrats ^{[3] [6]}, which provides important context about the current political landscape but doesn't address historical presidential involvement.

The analyses also reveal that this redistricting battle could lead to a "race-to-the-bottom" in terms of gerrymandering ^[4], as states respond to each other's redistricting efforts in an escalating cycle.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question assumes that redistricting to ensure congressional seats is primarily a presidential initiative, but the analyses suggest this may be an oversimplification. The sources indicate that both parties have engaged in gerrymandering ^[3], and that state-level actors, including Democratic governors in Illinois, New York, and Maryland ^[3], are also actively pursuing redistricting strategies.

The question's framing may inadvertently suggest that presidential involvement in redistricting is unusual or unprecedented, when the analyses don't provide sufficient historical data to support or refute this implication. The sources focus heavily on current events without providing the historical comparison necessary to properly contextualize Trump's involvement.

Additionally, the question doesn't acknowledge that redistricting is typically a state-level process that occurs every decade following the census, though the current situation involves mid-decade redistricting ^[2], which may indeed be more unusual and worthy of scrutiny.