On Wednesday, Donald Trump endorsed fellow reality TV veteran Spencer Pratt’s candidacy for mayor of Los Angeles. “I’d like to see him in good shape, he’s a special character,” he told a group of reporters, adding: “I heard he’s a big MAGA guy.”
Across the country, especially in its deepest red heartlands, GOP political hopefuls are vying for the support of Trump, who is strong in the primaries and less effective in the general election, especially in swing states. The president has used his kingmaker status as a tool to enforce loyalty (elevating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a race for the Senate seat against incumbent John Cornyn) and as a purging mechanism against critics (as when he yesterday ousted his old enemy, conservative Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie). Trump also backed California GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, boosting the former Fox News host’s candidacy in a large, fragmented field that also includes a popular MAGA-endorsed county sheriff.
However, for Brat, a registered Republican who has spent the race presenting himself as a nonpartisan, independent person, the endorsement will likely be a poisoned chalice. He is well aware that the city is largely liberal and votes Democratic by a wide margin. (Los Angeles County broke with Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election by a margin of 65% to 32%).
It has not elected a Republican as mayor in nearly three decades. So, like many other Republicans who over the years have run for public office around Los Angeles — or, for that matter, used a dating app or attended a social event within the city limits — he reduces his political identity to the point of self-effacement.
“All my supporters in Los Angeles are Democrats. Everyone I know, my family, they’re all Democrats,” Pratt, who previously admitted to voting for Trump, told CBS. He explained to NBC that ballots will list him as “Spencer Pratt, community advocate, because that’s who I am,” insisting: “I don’t represent a party.” (Hollywood ReporterA review of Los Angeles City Ethics Commission files found that GOP operatives formed the backbone of his campaign.)
Nithya Raman, his main rival for second place in the June 2 runoff in November (incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass is leading in the polls), clearly sees Trump’s blessing as a boon for her own bid. “It is no surprise that Donald Trump would support his Los Angeles protégé and ‘big MAGA figure’ Spencer Pratt,” the left-wing Los Angeles City Councilwoman said in a statement released by her campaign shortly after the president made his comments. “Trump wants MAGA to have a foothold in one of the most progressive cities in America.”
For his part, Pratt responded to Raman online by making fun of himself while rolling his eyes. He did not respond to THRInquiry about authentication.
