(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump sharply criticized a fresh redistricting initiative in California on Friday — a measure decisively endorsed by voters — describing it as an attempt to undermine his political fortunes ahead of the approaching midterm elections.

He portrayed the move as a direct challenge to his efforts to safeguard his electoral prospects.

During comments to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump asserted, "I heard that a big lawsuit will be taking place, is, but will be taking place concerning the California hoax, where they're trying to get five more seats, and California is one of the most dishonest elections ever."

He continued escalating his rhetoric by claiming, "California is a disgrace on voting, and they're doing something that is very illegal. So, we will be suing California on the five seats."

Trump further alleged that California officials distributed "10s of billions of ballots to people all over the place. Many of those people get two or three ballots." Analysts noted that he almost certainly intended to say "tens of millions" rather than billions.

Although California remains the nation’s most heavily populated state, its population stands at roughly 39.5 million.

As part of its broader strategy to encourage voter participation — especially since the United States, unlike many developed countries, does not designate Election Day as a national holiday — the state sends ballots to every registered voter.

Nationwide, voter turnout typically reaches only about 60% during presidential election cycles, with participation dropping even further during off-year contests such as this year’s statewide elections.

Earlier this month, Californians decisively backed Proposition 50, with close to two-thirds of voters endorsing the measure amid an intensifying political showdown between Trump and Democratic state leaders.

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