Pratt, a former reality TV star running to unseat current Mayor Karen Bass after losing his home in the Palisades fire last year, took aim at the rise of socialism in the United States, offering an alternative for people worried about affordability crises in major U.S. cities.“I feel like people are all hyped on socialism because they’re like, ‘Everything’s so expensive, America’s failed, give me money.’ But what they’re forgetting is all the people — that these socialists are saying they’re taking the money [from] and giving it [out] — they’re gonna leave. And then they’re not gonna have any money to take from these people to give to you,” Pratt said.
Pratt, a registered Republican running in deep-blue Los Angeles but gaining significant traction among people resonating with his straightforward message, pitched a Reaganesque economic vision to counter socialism in the modern U.S.
“The way we get you money is stopping the socialism, letting successful rich people build businesses, build restaurants, put money into your pocket, because there’s more jobs, there’s more opportunity. That’s how we actually get you more money,” Pratt said.
Pratt also raised concerns about tax fraud in Los Angeles and across cities where socialism has played out, arguing that “champagne socialist scammers” steal tax money and siphon it away from programs where it should be used.
