MS NOW reporter Jacob Soboroff has drawn a notable parallel between the campaign rhetoric of Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt and that of President Donald Trump.
Speaking with host Rachel Maddow, Soboroff explained that Pratt’s decision to enter the mayoral race was largely influenced by losing his home in the destructive 2025 Palisades Fire. Soboroff, however, noted similarities between Pratt’s statements on homelessness and Trump’s comments on immigration.
“Spencer Pratt addresses the issues of homelessness and the housing crisis in Los Angeles, but his language regarding unhoused individuals in L.A. mirrors how Donald Trump discusses immigrants in the U.S.,” Soboroff remarked. “He talks about rounding them up and housing them in a ‘campus-like facility’ with federal government collaboration.”
Soboroff further commented that while Pratt has numerous bold ideas for managing the nation’s second-largest city, his proposals “bear a strong resemblance to those of the man at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.”
Pratt, who has yet to hold any public office and became known through the MTV reality series “The Hills,” has centered his campaign on addressing homelessness. Nevertheless, he has provided limited specific policy plans compared to other contenders.
In discussing the more than 43,000 unhoused people in Los Angeles, Pratt has generalized the issue as more of a drug problem than a homelessness one.
“Mayor [Karen] Bass and Councilwoman [Nithya] Raman, they think it’s about empty beds and housing. It’s actually a drug addiction problem,” Pratt said on CNN’s “The Lead” last week. “Of course, we need to house and find shelters and rehabs for these people, but mandatory treatment for drug users is essential.”
Last week, Pratt informed “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas of his plan to secure private investment from billionaires to establish a “campus” on federal land for housing unhoused drug addicts.
“I traveled to Washington with prefabricated home builders. Constructing a city of prefabricated homes with treatment centers and medical facilities is cheaper than funneling money into buildings in L.A.,” Pratt stated. “I’ve met numerous successful philanthropic billionaires eager to invest in this.”
President Trump expressed his support for Pratt weeks before the California primary, telling reporters he’d “like to see him do well.”
“He’s quite a character … I heard he’s a big MAGA supporter. He’s doing well,” Trump added.
As of Wednesday evening, Pratt was in second place in the mayoral primary race, trailing behind Mayor Karen Bass with 62% of the votes counted, as reported by The Associated Press. Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman was in third. If no candidate secures 50% of the vote, the top two will advance to the general election in November.
