Spencer Pratt is officially not shying away from comparisons to Donald Trump, as the reality TV star-turned-mayoral-candidate on Sunday reposted a CNN segment in which one of the president’s former communications aides likened his campaign to Trump 2016.
“I think Spencer Pratt could be the next mayor of Los Angeles, and I’ll tell you why,” said Caroline Sunshine, who worked on Trump’s 2024 run. “The last time a reality television star who was politically incorrect ran for office, he ended up all the way at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And Spencer Pratt is reminding me of the saying, ‘First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.’ He has all the makings.”
Pratt posted the segment Saturday afternoon on his X account.
Pratt, who decided to jump into politics after his home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire, has surged in polling with a populist message that’s included aggressive attacks his top opponents – incumbent Karen Bass and progressive progressive city councilmember Nithya Raman – as well as Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I don’t even have to use the Donald Trump example,” Sunshine continued. “He has the charisma of Mamdani, of AOC, Trump. He has that outsider, anti-establishment energy, and he is good at harnessing attention.”
Sunshine also noted that Pratt’s lack of a large staff, campaign office or party backing – he’s a registered Republican, but not running with party support – is actually working to his advantage.
“He is running, tactically speaking, a very nimble, agile, smart campaign.,” Sunshine said. “I can tell that campaign is not being governed by committee. My guess is it’s a very small team of five to six people who, just like Trump in 2016, are able to move a lot faster than bloated political consultant-type campaigns.”
Sunshine also compared Pratt’s debate-stage and social-media edginess to the Trump playbook.
“People are saying they don’t like his politically [incorrect] comments – so in the debate the other night, people said he was offensive,” Sunshine said. “Maybe when he was suggesting that Nithya Raman go ask people who are homeless under the freeway for treatment they were going to get stabbed in the neck, and people were really offended by that. Well, guess what? In Venice, California today, we had a man get his arm sliced off with a samurai sword. So Spencer Pratt, it looks like is way more in touch with reality than the rest of the candidates on that stage.”
Brian Tyler Cohen, host of the “No Lie With Brian Tyler Cohen” podcast, agreed with Sunshine’s comparison – but didn’t agree that it’s working to Pratt’s advantage.
“What could possibly go wrong with a longtime reality star who speaks bluntly, knows how to game the media and decides that he wants to be a politician?,” Cohen said. “I think that would actually carry more weight if Donald Trump’s approval rating wasn’t what it is right now, and if he wasn’t, you know, basically exposed as as a con artist for promising to be this populist champion, and instead, you know, prices are higher for everybody.”
Watch the entire exchange in the video above.
