Spencer Pratt borrows from Trump's strategy by sharing dubious 'thank you sir' story on campaign trail

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 23:52, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 23:59, 30 May 2026 Spencer Pratt drew more comparisons to Donald Trump as he appeared to copy the president's habit of telling stories about unnamed fans thanking him for his campaign.  The Los Angeles mayoral hopeful made the remark as he appeared on Fox News opposite host Kayleigh McEnany, as she asked him about the impact his faith has had on his run for mayor.  Pratt, 42, said he relied on his wife, fellow former reality TV star Heidi Montag, in bringing him back to religion, which he said led fans to praise him for trying to 'save' Los Angeles.  The anecdote led to comparisons to Trump's pattern of telling stories about his supporters telling him 'thank you sir' when he recalls his accomplishments.   Pratt began by saying his faith helped him calm his nerves before a high-stakes debate against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who he described as 'two lying demons.'  'I’ve never done a debate, and I’ve never argued with two lying demons live on TV,' Pratt said, before adding, 'In a political setting.' 'Technically maybe in my past reality TV career we could say that happened before,' he continued. 'But, I just said, “God, if you want this for me, please, just have me destroy them live on TV.” And I walked I off that stage and this young high school kid came right up to me, and he said, "Thank you, sir, for being the only one that told the truth up there on the stage."' Pratt's remark drew comparisons to Trump, with outlet Mediaite accusing him of 'taking a page out of Trump's playbook' to praise his own campaigning.   Spencer Pratt drew more comparisons to Donald Trump as he appeared to copy the president's habit of telling stories about unnamed fans thanking him for his campaign Pratt's remark drew comparisons to Trump, with outlet Mediaite accusing him of 'taking a page out of Trump's playbook' to praise his own campaigning In polls following Pratt's debate earlier this month against Bass and Raman, viewers overwhelmingly said he came out on top.  In a poll from NBC of viewers, 79 percent said they believed Pratt won the debate.   Pratt did not name the fan who thanked him, but he said he believed his debate performance was a sign from God that he was meant to win the mayoral race.  'For me, when I set out on this mission, it was just to hit the truth at the highest platform I could,' he told Fox News.  'That’s all I ever thought I was going to be able to do. Obviously, I know what needs to be done, but if it was only to expose the lies and corruption of our beautiful city, I would have been fine. 'But that was God’s plan. But it seems like God has me going all the way in five days if everyone just turns in their ballots right now and votes.' It comes as Pratt enters the final stretch of the campaign, with voters set to head to the ballot box on June 2. If no candidate receives 50 percent of the votes, the top two candidates will go to a run-off election in November.  LOL Trump totally makes stuff up"When I took over this country it was a mess...You know I have so many people, it happens every time. 'Sir thank you. Thank you very much.' This guy's a monster. It's true. He's like a monster...& he's crying! 'Thank you very much, Mr President'" pic.twitter.com/zNFddmC06B Pratt's anecdote led to comparisons to Trump's pattern of telling stories about his supporters telling him 'thank you sir' when he recalls his accomplishments Pratt, seen with his former reality TV star wife Heidi Montag and two children, was initially seen as a longshot candidate when he launched his campaign in January Prediction markets now give Pratt a real chance at toppling incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (left) and city council member Nithya Raman (right)  In the home stretch of the mayoral race, Pratt has taken to using his past as a reality TV star to callout his opponents for destroying California's crown economic jewel - Hollywood.  Pratt, 42, went on a lengthy X rant on Friday, calling out his opponents, incumbent Karen Bass and Nithya Raman, for destroying the city's entertainment industry. 'Nithya did NOTHING as Hollywood fell into the abyss over the last few years, and now she wants you to believe she suddenly cares? She thinks you’re dumb,' he wrote. 'Karen and Nithya treat productions like a nuisance, and they’ve killed our golden goose.' Pratt would have first-hand knowledge of the production landscape in Los Angeles as he spent years on the reality show, The Hills, which largely filmed in the City of Angels between 2006 and 2010. The husband of Heidi Montag promised he would 'pull out ALL the stops to eliminate every lame reason that makes filming in LA a pain in the neck.' His proposal includes making permitting and parking approvals 'cheap' and 'easy,' increasing LAPD patrols in hotspots to protect the crew, and removing addicts and the homeless from the area. 'We need to win back these productions, and tax credits aren’t enough to do it,' he wrote. 'They just need filming to be easier and safer in LA. They need LA to be nicer, and less disgusting.' 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