Trump backs Spencer Pratt in Los Angeles mayoral race

President Donald Trump signaled support for former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, who is running for mayor of Los Angeles, while speaking to reporters Wednesday at Joint Base Andrews.

"Oh, I'd like to see him do well. He's a character," Trump said.

Trump said he did not know Pratt personally but assumed he supported him. He added that he had heard Pratt was a "Big MAGA person" and was "doing well."

Trump questioned whether Pratt could win in California, claiming the state's voting system is rigged. He said mail-in ballots and other practices make elections dishonest and disproportionately favor Democrats.

"They send out 38 million votes. Nobody knows where they're going," Trump said. "Of course, the Democrats do, so I guess, but, disproportionately, Democrats get many more votes."

Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost their Pacific Palisades home in the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Pratt has said the fires and Democratic Mayor Karen Bass' handling of the aftermath prompted him to run.

"Standing here one year later, I have to tell you the most heartbreaking part of the last year wasn't being displaced or losing everything I own, it was the realization that all of this was preventable," Pratt said when he announced his candidacy on Jan. 7, 2026.

Pratt has drawn attention with AI-generated campaign videos and hardline positions on homelessness and drug addiction. He has called for stricter enforcement, mandatory treatment and expanded incarceration for some repeat offenders.

Pratt trails Bass in most polls, though a recent Emerson College poll showed him rising from 10 percent in March to 22 percent in May. Bass stood at 30 percent in the same poll.

The candidates face a June 2 primary. If no one receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two will advance to a November general election.