Trump says LA mayor election ‘rigged’ as CNN calls claim ‘dumbest conspiracy theory’

President Donald Trump made waves on Monday by declaring that the vote counting in the Los Angeles mayoral primary was rigged, asserting that it is simply not possible for Republican contender Spencer Pratt to have lost his lead.

Trump took to Truth Social to vent his frustration, calling the situation a 3rd World Nation scenario and claiming, "Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had. 3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections!"

The Shift in the LA Race

Pratt, a reality television star backed by the former president, held second place in the mayoral primary until Democratic City Councilwoman Nithya Raman overtook his vote count on Monday morning. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Karen Bass has already secured a spot on the general election ballot following last week’s top-two nonpartisan primary. According to the Associated Press, the race to see who will face Bass in the November runoff remains too early to call.

Broader Allegations and Expert Pushback

Beyond the LA mayoral race, Trump also pointed to the California gubernatorial jungle primary, suggesting that officials would drag out the results for Republican Steve Hilton for up to two weeks.

The claims drew sharp criticism from CNN’s Harry Enten, who labeled the conspiracy theory the dumbest he has ever encountered. Enten argued that Bass is actually performing better against Pratt than she is against Raman, citing polling from the Los Angeles Times that shows Bass holding an 18-point lead over Pratt, while Raman maintains a 4-point advantage against the incumbent mayor.

“They don’t want any part of Nithya Raman,” Enten stated on CNN, dismissing the conspiracy narratives as fundamentally illogical.