PoliticusUSA

PoliticusUSA

Trump's Demand For A New Census Is A Distraction That Will Fail

Trump suddenly demanded a new Census, but he tried this during his first term in office, and the courts shut him down.

Jason Easley's avatar
Jason Easley
Aug 07, 2025
∙ Paid

PoliticusUSA is 100% reader-supported, but we could use your help. Please support us by becoming a subscriber.

Donald Trump has tried this before. During his first term in office, Trump demanded a new Census that would not count immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Trump’s second term is failing, so the president trotted out his dog whistle against brown people by demanding a new Census.

Trump posted on Truth Social:

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!

It takes years of planning and staffing to do a new Census. Trump can’t order one, and it appears like magic.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) pointed out the bigger issue:

This is wholly unconstitutional. The Constitution mandates a census every ten years that counts every single person in the country, regardless of their citizenship status. When Trump tried to do this in 2020, the courts flat out rejected it.

Pew Research looked at what a new Census that doesn’t count people in the country illegally would look like and how it would impact elections, and their answer was that it would have minimal impact.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to PoliticusUSA to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 PoliticusUSA LLC · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture