President Donald Trump has encouraged Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt to protest his primary election loss, repeating his assertions that California's elections are "rigged."
"Spencer Pratt… He shouldn't go away quietly. He should protest because it was, in my very strong opinion, that was a rigged election," Trump stated during a speech to the Faith & Freedom Coalition on Friday.
Trump drew a parallel between Pratt's situation and a potential loss for Republican candidate Steve Hilton in the gubernatorial race, claiming he intervened by contacting a U.S. Attorney. "And then they tried to hurt Steve Hilton, too, and I called the U.S. attorney and said, ‘You have to look into this,’" Trump said.
Earlier in the week, Trump had mentioned at a rally that he leveraged Pratt's controversial election results to pressure a U.S. Attorney in California, suggesting it helped prevent Steve Hilton's primary defeat. Pratt experienced a second-place lead on Election Day, which diminished as mail-in ballots were counted, fueling speculation of voter manipulation.
Trump has amplified these claims, criticizing California's lengthy vote-counting process, which can extend for weeks. He has also expressed a desire to target mail-in voting, a method widely used in California. On election night, Pratt appeared to be on track to face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the runoff. However, socialist city council member Nithya Raman secured the final spot in the general election after late-arriving mail ballots were tallied.
Although Pratt has seemingly conceded the election, he maintains he will not withdraw. He released a concession video that hinted at further actions, stating he possesses evidence that could potentially undermine Bass or Raman. "You think you can get away with this that easily? I know a lot of dimwitted jerks thought I was in this for a grift. That I was going to roll up and leave town if I didn’t get into city hall," Pratt had said.
