--- title: Spencer Pratt Is Running Trump’s Playbook—and Trump Approves description: The reality star's mayoral bid is running on outrage, celebrity and A.I. slop—and might just seal Karen Bass' re-election. canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/spencer-pratt-trump-los-angeles-mayor-endorsement/ author: Philip Elliott article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-05-21T12:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-30T08:39:50.834Z article:section: Politics og:title: Spencer Pratt Is Running Trump’s Playbook—and Trump Approves og:description: The reality star's mayoral bid is running on outrage, celebrity and A.I. slop—and might just seal Karen Bass' re-election. og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/spencer-pratt-trump-los-angeles-mayor-endorsement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff4d203151316c65/6a0e1ea3295af9399a4a972c/GettyImages-2276617911.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: GettyImages-2276617911.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Spencer Pratt Is Running Trump’s Playbook—and Trump Approves twitter:description: The reality star's mayoral bid is running on outrage, celebrity and A.I. slop—and might just seal Karen Bass' re-election. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltff4d203151316c65/6a0e1ea3295af9399a4a972c/GettyImages-2276617911.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Spencer Pratt Is Running Trump’s Playbook in Los Angeles—and Trump Approves > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: How Spencer Pratt became an unlikely contender for L.A. mayor [Watch (HLS stream): How Spencer Pratt became an unlikely contender for L.A. mayor](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GYipqgim.m3u8) (1:18)  _Published 2026-05-28. Need a temp check on just how angry votes are right now? Look to California, where former reality show villain Spencer Pratt is actually within striking distance of winning a nomination for Mayor of Los Angeles. In his version of this very-online script, he’s the hero coming to save the day—literally, replete with a Batman-styled cape in one viral video and Luke Skywalker-caliber sword skills in another. In one of those only-in-politics moments, the MAGAverse is rallying behind Pratt, a 42-year-old registered Republican, in hopes he can be the next Mayor of the nation’s second-largest city, a kind of West Coast counterpoint to Zohran Mamdani in New York. Yet their cheering may instead help seal the re-election of the deeply unpopular incumbent, Karen Bass._  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent May 21, 2026 12:00 PM UTC  by [Philip Elliott](https://time.com/author/philip-elliott/)  ## Philip Elliott Senior Correspondent May 21, 2026 12:00 PM UTC Need a temp check on just how angry votes are right now? Look to [California](https://time.com/7335166/la-wildfire-recovery-climate-warning/), where former reality show villain Spencer Pratt is actually within striking distance of winning a nomination for Mayor of Los Angeles. In his version of this very-online script, he’s the hero coming to save the day—literally, replete with a _Batman_\-styled cape in one viral [video](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/spencer-pratt-batman-ai-campaign-video-1236587741/) and Luke Skywalker-caliber sword skills in another. In one of those only-in-politics moments, the MAGAverse is rallying behind Pratt, a 42-year-old registered Republican, in hopes he can be the next Mayor of the nation’s second-largest city, a kind of West Coast counterpoint to [Zohran Mamdani ](https://time.com/article/2026/05/13/zohran-mamdani-new-york-city-deficit-budget-funding/)in New York. Yet their cheering may instead help seal the re-election of the deeply unpopular incumbent, [Karen Bass](https://time.com/7205815/karen-bass-los-angeles-wildfires-mayor-controversy/). Pratt, for those who don’t know or perhaps forgot, is the former star of [_The Hills_](https://time.com/collections/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6198473/the-hills/), a ground-breaking MTV reality show from the early aughts. More recently, after seeing his family’s home burn down in last year’s Palisades wildfires, he launched a mayoral campaign gaining some traction in a very online echo chamber where outrage and celebrity are the currency of the realm and experience is inexplicably a negative. Sound familiar? It should. This is the Trump playbook, down to a media strategy meant to drive normies nuts. By all standards, this is an unusual race and could be a test of just how eager for change the electorate is. On the long shot someone gets 50% of the vote on June 2, the race is over. More likely, the top-two finishers will move onto a runoff on Nov. 3, when California will also be voting on scores of congressional races and deciding who will replace Gov. Gavin Newsom. That means Bass could see a crowded opposition field shrink down to a blunt but untested celebrity in a city that hasn’t elected a Republican Mayor since Bill Clinton was President—and where Democrats are expected to outnumber Republicans by a 4-to-1 margin. What might make it even easier for Pratt in the election’s first round and Bass in the second? The same event: an endorsement from the former reality show host who twice ran a similar, successful playbook of trollish glee and brute insults to win the White House. On Wednesday, [Trump all but delivered](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-05-20/trump-signals-support-for-pratt-in-la-mayoral-election-id-like-to-see-him-do-well) just that: “I’d like to see him do well,” the President said Wednesday of Pratt. “He’s a character. I heard he’s a big MAGA person.” The Bass camp is surely thrilled. Before Pratt was gaining ground, the race was expected to narrow to Bass and City Council member Nithya Raman, who still has a shot at making the runoff over Pratt. Establishment Democrats are uncertain about the outcome if Raman is the alternative to Bass. They have no such uncertainty if Pratt ends up in a head-to-head with Bass, they crow. Back in March, Emerson College [polling](https://emersoncollegepolling.com/california-2026-poll-becerra-continues-to-surge-steyer-and-hilton-compete-for-second-spot/) found the biggest share of the electorate—51%—was undecided. That number dropped this month to 16%. Bass grew her level of support from 20% to 30%. But Pratt increased his slice from 10% to 22% while Raman climbed from 9% to 19%. But here’s the other telling number: Trump has a 74% disapproval rating in Los Angeles. It’s not surprising that Los Angeles voters are looking for change. Many remain outraged by the 72-year-old Bass’ response to the wildfires that wiped out whole chunks of the city, and more broadly frustrated by her approaches to homelessness, immigration and crime. Raman, at age 44, splits the age and experience difference. Pratt’s selling points are more visceral. “Everyone’s angry. All genders. All races,” Pratt said after the one and only debate. “It’s the most psycho time.” Pratt surprised even his detractors at that debate with a performance marked by clever rejoinders, a cogent message about needing an outsider to clean up Bass’ messes, and an optimistic vision not far from the “Make LA _Entourage_ Again” hats spotted in the wild. It’s in part why some major corporate leaders are now backing Pratt. But much like Trump, Pratt is also reaching voters by embracing spectacle, notably viral [videos](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/spencer-pratt-los-angeles-mayoral-campaign-ai-videos-rcna345064?cid=sm%5Fnpd%5Fnn%5Ffb%5Fma&utm%5Fcampaign=trueanthem&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawR5xH9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFreGMxb2xwM09TbWRhRUdPc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnritKlYvI2xg3mupezanu9quOM-ZXF0%5Fm4QXCB3s7XDRatAXPj9db1Dgylw%5Faem%5F9EpXqNnZMYpJXmca2K2RBA)—many of which look like they’re A.I. creations. They are, to be blunt, less than mayoral. In one of the most popular ones, a _Batman_\-esque crusader interrupts a gathering of Democratic elites [led by a Joker-styled Bass](https://x.com/charliebcurran/status/2051647381981290697). He leads an uprising of other frustrated Angelenos to throw tomatoes at Bass, Newsom and Kamala Harris. (For good measure, the ad throws out a crude mockery of transgender rights.) In another, borrowing from _Star Wars’_ tones, Pratt duels Bass with a lightsaber while Harris and Newsom scheme to control the universe. Pratt says he isn’t involved in their creation and fanfic. But he has definitely amplified them on social media alongside his own churn of Internet chum, including one ad claiming “Stay the course with Karen Bass” as homes burned. At the same time, Pratt has taken to doling out nicknames as another denizen of reality shows did in 2016\. Instead of “Crooked Hillary,” today there is “Mayor Basura,” a crude mashup of the Spanish word for _garbage_ and the incumbent’s surname. Oh, and of course there’s corresponding merchandise for sale on his website. But as Trump could do, Pratt can also read the room. The top issues on Angelenos’ minds are the economy, including jobs, taxes, and inflation, at 31% followed by housing affordability at 25%, according to Emerson College polling of likely primary voters. For some L.A. voters, Pratt is addressing those issues more legibly than his opponents. In interviews and appearances, Pratt brands himself as an anti-establishment activist—not just a celebrity whose house burned down in the Palisades fire and inspired his frustration with city services. On the ballot, it lists his occupation as “community advocate.” When asked about his qualifications, he has a snappy [answer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVsb1%5FRQpP0): “I’m no longer a reality star. I’m the only candidate living in reality.” But there’s also the flash of arrogance former fans of _The Hills_ will recognize when he likens himself to Barack Obama, who rose from community organizer to the White House: “Him and I have the same experience.” It’s an easier argument to compare Pratt to the President who came after. ## Transcript Think Donald Trump is the only reality star who can bluster his way to political power. Think again. Former villain of The Hills, Spencer Pratt is running stronger than expected in the race to become the mayor of Los Angeles. Let's look at the race to lead the nation's second largest city in one minute of your time. Pratt was among the roughly 6800 homeowners who lost their houses in the Palisades fires last year. Angered by the city's response, Pratt took up activism. That's why I am running for mayor, and I'm. The one year anniversary of the fires. He launched a campaign to unseat the incumbent mayor, Karen Bass. His media savvy, especially his amplification of viral videos, have helped turn him into a real contender. Pratt's campaign feels a whole lot like the one Trump ran in 2016, railing against the establishment and bending authenticity. Best experience. On June 2nd, assuming none of the 14 candidates gets more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote getters will advance to a head to head contest in November. Pratt is within striking distance of being one of those two candidates. That said, Pratt is a registered Republican running in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 4 to 1. Even if Pratt advances to the runoff, the odds of him becoming LA's next mayor are still long. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/spencer-pratt-trump-los-angeles-mayor-endorsement/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/spencer-pratt-trump-los-angeles-mayor-endorsement/"},"headline":"Spencer Pratt Is Running Trump’s Playbook in Los Angeles—and Trump Approves","datePublished":"2026-05-21T12:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-30T08:39:50.834Z","description":"The reality star's mayoral bid is running on outrage, celebrity and A.I. slop","url":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/spencer-pratt-trump-los-angeles-mayor-endorsement/","keywords":["The D.C. 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In one of those only-in-politics moments, the MAGAverse is rallying behind Pratt, a 42-year-old registered Republican, in hopes he can be the next Mayor of the nation’s second-largest city, a kind of West Coast counterpoint to Zohran Mamdani in New York. Yet their cheering may instead help seal the re-election of the deeply unpopular incumbent, Karen Bass.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/GYipqgim/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2026-05-28T20:19:04.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GYipqgim.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/spencer-pratt-trump-los-angeles-mayor-endorsement/","duration":"PT1M18S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/article/2026/05/21/spencer-pratt-trump-los-angeles-mayor-endorsement/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```