Aug. 7 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump Thursday posted on Truth Social that he has directed the U.S. Department of Commerce to work on a new census that doesn't count people who are "in our country illegally."
"I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024. People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" the Truth Social post said.
The post did not specify exactly what he meant by those here "illegally" or information gained from the election.
In Trump's first term, he tried to change the census questionnaire to ask a question about citizenship status. But the Supreme Court blocked it, saying the administration did not provide adequate grounds for adding the question and called the government's argument "contrived." The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the question in New York federal court and the Supreme Court.
Thursday's declaration comes as Trump continues his push to make Republican-leaning states redraw their districts to make them more favorable to U.S. House of Representatives candidates before the 2026 midterms.
