U.S. Senate candidate Brandon Brown today released the following statement after President Donald Trump urged South Carolina legislators on Truth Social to postpone congressional primaries and redraw district maps:
“Donald Trump told the truth tonight, just not in the way he intended. He admitted that he is personally monitoring South Carolina’s redistricting process as Republicans attempt to redraw congressional maps ahead of the census for one reason: to manipulate the system and protect Republican power in Washington.
"Then, in classic Trump fashion, he accused Democrats of the very thing Republicans have been doing for decades. Republicans have controlled the South Carolina state government and overseen the last two rounds of redistricting. So when Trump talks about ‘egregious gerrymandering and census rigging,’ he is projecting his party’s own actions onto everyone else.
"Everything broken, corrupt, and underperforming in South Carolina is the product of failed Republican leadership. They have controlled this state for decades, yet working families are struggling, healthcare remains inaccessible for too many people, public education is underfunded, and rural communities continue to be left behind.
"And now, instead of fixing the problems they created, they are trying to rig the maps because they are afraid of the people. There is nothing ‘bold’ or ‘courageous’ about manipulating district lines to silence voters. It is unethical. It is cowardly. And it proves that Donald Trump and his Republican allies know a political backlash is coming because Americans are tired of the chaos, division, corruption, and pain they have inflicted on this country.
"Democracy works best when politicians earn the support of the people. Republicans are trying to redraw the rules because they know they are losing the trust of the people.”