Donald Trump has revived a months-old political defeat involving former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt. The president praised Pratt’s campaign for the LA mayoral race but faulted him for not challenging the result.
Spencer Pratt’s response after missing the Los Angeles runoff
Spencer Pratt finished third in the June 2 mayoral primary, behind Karen Bass and mayor-elect Nithya Raman. The 43-year-old former “The Hills” star ran as a Republican and built much of his campaign around online attention. Trump, speaking to Salem News Channel on Thursday, said Pratt had performed well but should have kept fighting (via The Daily Beast).
“He didn’t protest,” Trump claimed, adding that he had told Pratt the election was “rigged.” In fact, Pratt had challenged the political establishment soon after the loss. In an Instagram video titled “Saving L.A.,” he promised to stay involved in local politics and declared, “It’s war.” “You thought you could get rid of me that easily?” Pratt said. He added, “I didn’t get in this for political power; I got in this to expose this corrupt machine, and nothing’s changed.”
Pratt also used the video to attack Bass and Raman, calling them “two morons” and accusing them of running a corrupt political machine. He called the duo “two corrupt communists.” Pratt also argued that losing the mayoral race would not stop him from speaking out because he no longer had a campaign to “hamstring” him.
Claims of voting irregularities also followed the primary. Pratt’s online supporters, including Elon Musk, questioned a pause in The Associated Press’ vote updates and suggested the count had been manipulated. A federal review later rejected those allegations.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli addressed the claims in a statement posted on X. He said investigators checked official county records and found that “every candidate received votes in each update.” The AP identified a simple technical hiccup behind the confusion. Its automated feed briefly lagged, posting Pratt’s vote count 60 seconds after the other candidates’ totals.
