Spencer Pratt is likening himself to former President Barack Obama amid his campaign to become the mayor of Los Angeles.
“I have two awards from my community. President Obama actually didn’t even have awards when he was a community organizer,” Pratt, 42, told NBC Los Angeles’ Conan Nolan on Friday, May 8. “He was able to become a senator and then a president for eight years. So, I feel like him, and I have the same experience.”
The Hills alum previously made the comparison to Obama, 64, during a Thursday, May 7, interview with CBS News.
“He had no experience running the whole entire country, which is way bigger than L.A.,” Pratt claimed.
During his interview on Friday, Pratt also addressed those who bring up his past as a reality TV personality, describing himself as a “community advocate” these days.
“I’m no longer a reality star,” he argued. “It’s funny, I keep being called a reality star. I’m the only candidate living in reality, too.”
Pratt’s interviews come after a debate on Wednesday, May 6, during which City Councilwoman Nithya Raman called him a “MAGA Republican.”
Pratt, who is a registered Republican, told CBS News on Thursday, “All my supporters in Los Angeles are Democrats. Everyone I know, my family, are all Democrats.”
He added in his interview with NBC Los Angeles on Friday, “I represent all of Los Angeles. I do not represent a party. I don’t have a campaign manager. I don’t have campaign consultants. There’s no political party backing me.”
Pratt also predicted on Thursday that he will secure more than half the votes in next month’s election.
“I’m probably going to win with 51 percent on June 2, because I don’t do a political message,” he said. “I don’t do national politics. I don’t do tribal politics. I don’t talk about other states. I’m localized. I just want to fix our streets, get the lights on. I want people to feel safe.”
Pratt announced his plans to run for mayor of L.A. in January, citing a desire to rebuild the city’s “system” after wildfires the year prior. (Pratt and his wife, Heidi Montag, lost their home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood to the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people and burned more than 6,800 homes and businesses.)
“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling; it’s fundamentally broken,” he said at the “They Let Us Burn” public demonstration. “It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash. Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action.”
Pratt continued, “That’s why I am running for mayor. And let me be clear, this just isn’t a campaign, this is a mission, and we’re gonna expose the system.”
Many celebrities have voiced support for the MTV alum, including Joe Rogan, Kristin Cavallari and Jonathan “FoodGod” Cheban.
“I’m ready to almost move back to L.A, because I’m tired of this weather,” Cheban, 52, who lives in New York City, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday. “If he wins, it will be really amazing. I’m desperate for him to win because I’m tired of going to L.A. and seeing a ghost town. It just feels like it dies every time, and if he wins, I think that’s going to change everything that’s, like, the heartbeat that they need out there.”
Cheban added, “If he doesn’t win, I mean, it can’t get any worse, you know what I mean? So, it could only go up or go all the way down.”
