Trump offers more criticism of Indiana Republicans after swatting incident [UPDATED]

President Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of Indiana Republicans who oppose redistricting last week, despite targeted attacks spawned by his callout.

Last Friday, Indiana Senate Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville) announced there were not enough Republican votes in the Indiana state Senate to move forward with a redistricting special session. Gov. Mike Braun (R) originally called a special session last month, which was later pushed back to December due to lack of support. After the special session was canceled, Trump took to Truth Social to berate the holdouts in the chamber and question Braun’s leadership in the state.

State Sen. Greg Goode (R-Terre Haute) publicly opposed the redistricting effort after holding a listening session with constituents earlier this month. During the event, every participant spoke against the Republican plan. Trump called Goode a RINO in his post on Sunday (meaning “Republican in name only”), and Goode became the victim of a “swatting” incident at his home hours later. 

Swatting is a form of harassment that involves calling an emergency service, usually a SWAT team, to someone’s home without their knowledge, usually to scare them. The Vigo County Sheriff’s Office reported an email sent to them falsely claiming that harm had been done to someone inside of Goode’s home. 

After a “great [phone] call” with Trump on Monday, Braun reiterated his support for redistricting and accused his colleagues of “hiding behind closed doors” in an X post. However, Braun did condemn the swatting incident at Goode’s home and said such harassment has no place in Indiana.  

Trump did not address the incident, and instead said he would endorse the opponents of any Indiana Republican who does not support redistricting. He also falsely claimed that Democrats are “trying to steal seats everywhere,” a problem he blamed on the “Rigged Census.” The last U.S. Census was conducted in 2020, while Trump was in office.

The redistricting issue will likely be taken up when Indiana’s regular legislative session begins on Jan. 5, 2026. 

UPDATE (11/20): Four more swatting incidents were reported against Indiana state Sens. Goode, Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette), Dan Dernulc (R-Highland) and Rick Niemeyer (R-Lowell). The four lawmakers have not taken a public stance on Trump’s calls for redistricting but voted to reconvene in January instead of calling a special session to address the issue.

On Tuesday, Gov. Mike Braun (R) said he supports Trump’s efforts to recruit, endorse and finance primary challengers for Indiana state senators who refuse to support fair maps, including President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray (R-Martinsville). On Thursday, Bray reiterated his stance against mid-decade redistricting in Indiana.