From MTV to MAGA: Trump Endorses Ex-Reality Star Spencer Pratt for L.A. Mayor as Prez Rages Over 'Rigged' Election
Donald Trump threw his support behind Spencer Pratt for mayor of Los Angeles.
May 20 2026, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Donald Trump seemingly endorsed Spencer Pratt in his unlikely run for mayor of Los Angeles, hoping he can make it past a "rigged' election against two far-left candidates, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 79-year-old president called the former reality star "a character" and, in his usual egocentric way, wondered if Pratt, 42, supported him as well.
Donald Trump Hopes Spencer Pratt 'Does Well' in LA Mayoral Race
Pratt has eschewed party labels, saying he's running for mayor as an 'angry Angeleno.'
"Oh, I'd like to see him do well. He's a character," Trump said of The Hills alum, who announced his candidacy in January, a year after he and wife Heidi Montag and thousands of others lost their homes in a wildfire that took out Pacific Palisades, California.
"I don't know him. I assume he probably supports me. Does he support me?" Trump asked a reporter before boarding Air Force One on May 20. "I heard he does. I heard he's a Big MAGA person. He's doing well."
Pratt has actually walked a very fine line politically in his bid for mayor, avoiding association with the president.
The former MTV star noted that while he registered as a Republican in 2020, he walks an independent line and has specifically claimed he's "not MAGA" but an "angry Angeleno" who wants to oust entrenched political elites and battle corruption in the city.
Donald Trump Warns of 'Rigged' Voting in California
Trump told reporters he's like to see Pratt 'do well' in the LA mayoral race.
Trump warned that there could be some election hijinks in the June 2 primary, where Pratt is running against Democratic incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and Democratic Socialists of America City Councilwoman Nithya Raman.
If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates will advance to a runoff election in November.
"I don't know if, you know, if you have a rigged vote out there. That's the problem. The votes are rigged. You have a really rigged vote in California. You have all the mail-in ballots, everything else. Very hard to win because the elections are very dishonest," Trump claimed.
Spencer Pratt Appears Headed for Mayoral Runoff
Pratt proved to be a formidable presence in the May 6 LA Mayoral debate.
Pratt has received a surprising amount of support from Angelenos who are desperate for change.
Since the devastating wildfire destroyed his life and that of so many around him, the father of two became a loud advocate for fire victims' rights, keeping their plight alive and exposing the city's numerous errors that helped lead to the conflagration, including Bass being in Africa despite days of high wind warnings and an empty 117 million-gallon reservoir built to fight fires in the area.
Pratt has used his television savvy to create a series of viral ads promoting him as an outsider running against two multimillionaire city leaders. He's been polling in a strong second place behind Bass and ahead of Raman, after coming out particularly strong and tough-talking against the two entrenched politicos in a televised May 6 debate.
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Spencer Pratt Receiving Support From Both Republicans and Democrats
A Pratt support sign is seen in the burned out remains of Pacific Palisades.
Pratt has received broad cross-section support from right-leaning figures such as Meghan McCain, actor James Woods, and Joe Rogan, who told the former TV star, "If I lived in Los Angeles, no question whatsoever, I would vote for you," after he appeared on the stand-up comedian and former Angeleno's ultra-popular podcast.
He's also gained the support of left-leaning Hollywood types desperate to see change in the city, including former Lakers owner Jeannie Buss, Paris Hilton, mega-producer Brian Grazer, composer David Foster and his wife, singer Katharine McPhee, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos' power player wife, Nicole Avant.
