- President Donald Trump supports efforts to overturn Utah's Proposition 4 anti-gerrymandering law.
- The GOP-led initiative needs 144,000 signatures by Feb. 15 to qualify.
- Trump urges Utahns to sign the petition, citing a need for voter accountability.
SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump weighed in on Utah's recent redistricting fight Friday, urging followers to sign a petition to help overturn Utah's anti-gerrymandering law known as Proposition 4.
The president claimed he "WON BIG" in Utah in each of the previous three presidential elections in a post on Truth Social Friday — Trump won the state but underperformed all other Republican candidates dating back to 1996 — and asked his followers to support a GOP-led initiative to overturn Proposition 4.
That citizen-led initiative narrowly passed in 2018, creating an independent redistricting commission and standards for creating congressional maps that don't favor either major political party. Utah lawmakers amended that law in 2021, but it was reinstated by a district judge last year, kicking off a recent scramble to redraw Utah's political boundaries.
"The Great State of Utah, a place I love and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024, sent four terrific Republicans to Congress, and we want to keep it that way!" the president wrote.
"A very important effort is underway in Utah to repeal Proposition 4, make Map Drawing accountable to Utah Voters, stop Radical Leftist Judges, and KEEP UTAH RED," the president wrote. "But this can only happen if enough Citizens of Utah sign the Petition to put the Prop 4 Repeal on the Ballot for the November 3, 2026 Election."
Supporters of the repeal effort need to submit about 144,000 signatures from across the state by Feb. 15 in order to qualify the initiative for voters to weigh in on during the Nov. 3 general election. More than two months into the effort, they have submitted just over 56,000 as of Friday at 2 p.m., according to the lieutenant governor's website.
"Utahns deserve Maps drawn by those they elect, not Rogue Judges or Leftwing Activists who never faces the Voters, and, therefore, I encourage all Patriotic Utahns, Republicans and MAGA supporters who love their Great State and Country to sign this initiative, ASAP," the president continued. "This is a very 'Big Deal.' Thank you for your attention to this matter and, MAKE UTAH, AND AMERICA, GREAT AGAIN!"
Rob Axson, the chairman of the Utah Republican Party and sponsor of the initiative to repeal Proposition 4, said he's been "in close conversations with supporters all over the place, including our president and folks that care about constitutionality as well as care about Utah."
"(We) very much appreciate President Trump's continued focus and care for the state," he told KSL.
Asked if he thinks the president's support will help get the initiative over the finish line, Axson said supporters will "work our tail off clear to the finish line."
"This is a question that the people of Utah should decide for themselves, not a judge," he said. "So, we're working toward that end, and the more support and help and efforts and signatures we get, the better. And we certainly appreciate President Trump's contribution to the cause."
Better Boundaries, the group behind Proposition 4 in 2018, issued a statement in response to the president's post, saying: "Utah's maps are governed by Utah law, not national politics."
"After burning through millions of dollars, outside actors still can't get enough Utahns to sign onto repealing the reform voters already passed. That tells you everything," added Elizabeth Rasmussen, the organization's executive director. "If this repeal were popular with Utah voters, it wouldn't need national megaphones and millions of dollars to survive."
