President Donald Trump called the Los Angeles mayoral race a "rigged election" after a projection showed Nithya Raman overtaking Spencer Pratt [1].
The comments highlight the president's active support for Pratt and reflect a broader trend of challenging election integrity within California's voting systems [2].
Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on June 5, 2024, Trump said he preferred Pratt's success [3]. "Oh, I'd like to see Spencer Pratt do well," Trump said [4].
The controversy follows the primary election held on June 2, 2024 [5]. While Pratt held a significant lead on the night of the election, subsequent data shifted the standings [6].
A spokesperson for Decision Desk HQ said that their latest projection showed Nithya Raman moving into second place ahead of Spencer Pratt [7]. This projection effectively moved Pratt into third place [8].
Trump responded to this shift by labeling the process a "rigged election" [9]. He has frequently used similar language to describe electoral outcomes in California and other Democratic-led jurisdictions [2].
Pratt had previously maintained a lead in the early counts, but the final projections from Decision Desk HQ altered the trajectory of the race [6, 7]. Trump's remarks suggest a refusal to accept the updated projections as legitimate [9].
“"It's a rigged election."”
This intervention by the U.S. president in a municipal race demonstrates a strategy of amplifying skepticism regarding election results to support preferred candidates. By labeling a local primary 'rigged' following a projection shift, the administration aligns itself with a specific faction of the Republican party that seeks to challenge the validity of California's electoral processes.
