In a stunning display of political theater, Texas State Rep. Jolanda Jones (D) compared Republican redistricting efforts to the Holocaust during a bizarre interview with Don Lemon. Jones, who fled Texas alongside other Democrats to prevent a vote on the state’s new congressional map, made the jaw-dropping comments while urging Americans to resist what she sees as an attack on democracy.
“I will liken this to the Holocaust,” Jones said, claiming that Republicans redrawing district lines reminded her of how the Nazis rose to power while “good people remained silent.” She argued that if Americans don’t stand up now, they risk being “defeated, deported,” and losing all their rights.
Jones also suggested that even people who currently feel safe could soon be targets. “Even if you made it, you have an obligation to help people who can’t,” she said. “God forbid they end up targeting you and your family!”
Her inflammatory remarks went viral online, drawing immediate backlash. Critics accused Jones of trivializing one of the most horrific atrocities in history to score political points. Facing the heat, she later issued an apology to Fox News Digital: “That was a mistake, and I apologize for it. Trump is coming for my community, and I get emotional… but that was going too far.”
While she backtracked on the Holocaust comparison, Jones doubled down on her overall rhetoric, accusing Texas Republicans—and Gov. Greg Abbott in particular—of inventing legal threats. In a defiant press conference from New York, where she and other Democrats have taken refuge, Jones dismissed Abbott’s arrest threats as a publicity stunt.
“There is no felony in the Texas penal code for what he says,” she snapped. “Subpoenas from Texas don’t work in New York. He’s gonna come get us how?”
Standing alongside Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Jones ridiculed the governor’s ability to enforce consequences across state lines, calling it “smoke and mirrors.”
Jones’ outrage centers on a redistricting plan that could give Republicans up to five more seats in Congress. President Donald Trump defended the effort, saying Republicans are “entitled” to those seats after he won Texas with a record-setting vote count in 2024.
The blowback against Jones’ comments is just the latest flashpoint in a larger war over redistricting. Democrats have accused Republicans of gerrymandering, while conservatives point out that blue states like California and New York are quietly preparing their own partisan maps to lock in Democrat advantages.
Jones’ meltdown comes as the left ramps up increasingly extreme rhetoric. Just days earlier, Democratic strategist James Carville suggested Democrats should pack the Supreme Court and add new states to permanently tilt the political scales.
The fact that a sitting lawmaker would invoke the Holocaust over redistricting shows how far the political discourse has devolved. Republicans see it as a desperate attempt to distract from the unpopularity of Democrat policies—and to delegitimize legitimate GOP victories.
And as Jones’ viral rant proves, some Democrats aren’t just fleeing votes. They’re fleeing reality.