REALITY BITES

Trump Melts Down as MAGA Candidates Lose Steam

The president erupted on social media after updated vote counts showed two Republican-backed candidates were falling behind.

Donald Trump has seized on the fading fortunes of a reality TV star and a former Fox News presenter in two key California races to revive his claim that the state’s elections are rigged.

The president erupted on Truth Social on Monday after updated vote counts showed Republican-backed candidates Spencer Pratt and Steve Hilton facing increasingly difficult paths as officials continued processing ballots.

“Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had,” Trump wrote.

“3rd World Nation. Rigged Elections! Now they’ll be working on great guy Steve Hilton. Won’t have results for, possibly, TWO WEEKS, according to officials.”

The post marked Trump’s latest attack on California’s election system and came as the president escalates efforts to cast doubt on election administration in Democratic-led states.

Pratt, the reality television personality best known for The Hills, had emerged as an unlikely MAGA favorite during the Los Angeles mayoral contest.

But as additional ballots were counted, his early advantage evaporated.

By Monday morning, progressive city council member Nithya Raman had inched ahead of him to take on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass in the runoff in November, prompting Trump to suggest the result could not be legitimate.

The president also pointed to Hilton, the former Fox News host, who has launched a long-shot bid to become a Republican Governor in the deeply blue state.

While Hilton remained in the race as ballots continued to be processed, Trump suggested he too could become a victim of what the president described as a manipulated election system.

The state’s primary elections took place a week ago, but California law allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to arrive later and requires election officials to verify signatures before votes are counted, meaning final results can take days or even weeks to certify.

But with things not going their way, Trump and his MAGA allies have increasingly elevated election conspiracy theories about voter fraud.

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Trump’s frustration was on display during a recent interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, which ended with the 79-year-old abruptly walking out after Welker pressed him for evidence to substantiate his claims.

“All I have to do is look, and I listen,” a clearly agitated Trump replied.

After Welker explained “that’s not evidence”, he accused the media of being “crooked”, before ending the interview, telling her: “Sorry, let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough.”

PRATTFALL

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The extraordinary outburst comes days after he tapped housing executive Bill Pulte to be his acting director of national intelligence, in part to examine his claims of “rigged” voting systems.

SLASH AND BURN

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Under the law, Pulte can serve in the role in an acting capacity for 210 days—more than enough to take him through to the midterm elections in November, which critics fear Trump is trying to game.

Trump has been insisting for years that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

But with his poll numbers in free fall, the president has been ramping up his baseless claims and making other threats, too.

These have included threats to somehow cancel the midterm elections, or to run for another presidential term, which would be illegal under the Constitution.

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Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

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