Former President Barack Obama on Thursday sought to flip the script on accusations that he backs gerrymandering as he defended Democrats for launching retaliatory redistricting plans responding to Texas Republicans’ battle to redraw their state’s congressional map.

Former President Barack Obama on Thursday joined a virtual meeting with Texas House Democrats who left the state to deny Republicans the ability to pass newly drawn GOP-favorable congressional maps, cheering on their efforts and stressing their work comes at a critical time in the fight against partisan gerrymandering.