President Trump throws support behind Spencer Pratt for LA mayor: 'I heard he's a big MAGA person'
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Less than two weeks to the primary and President Trump is weighing in on who his favorite candidate is in the Los Angeles mayor's race: reality TV star and palisades fire victim Spencer Pratt.
"I'd like to see him do well. He's a character. I heard he's a big MAGA person. He's doing well," Trump told reporters on Wednesday.
We caught up with Pratt at a block party his campaign hosted for supporters in South Los Angeles. Pratt, who hasn't yet commented on the Trump endorsement, has seen a rise in support fueled by his anger over how the city is run, campaigning as an anti-establishment candidate who has never held elected office.
"They're frustrated about housing, about transportation, about homelessness, about affordability, about any number of other issues. But it seems like last year's wildfires have crystallized that frustration and that anger. He is the one candidate who really does seem to be voicing those frustrations in a way that's catching a lot of attention," said Dan Schnur, a political communications lecturer at USC and UC Berkeley.
Two of Pratt's competitors in the race - Mayor Karen Bass and L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman - jumped on the Trump endorsement as proof of what kind of mayor Pratt would be.
"Both Trump and Pratt want ICE to invade our city and kidnap our neighbors," Bass said, in part, on a post on X.
Raman said on X: "It's no surprise Donald Trump supports his LA apprentice and 'Big MAGA person' Spencer Pratt."
Political experts say the Trump endorsement puts Pratt in a tough spot.
"California's a deep blue state. Los Angeles is an even deeper blue city. He doesn't have an 'R' after his name on the ballot, but the more voters who know that Trump is supporting his candidacy, the more difficult it's going to be for Pratt to reach out beyond a Republican conservative base," said Schnur.
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