Gold Demand Topped 5,000 Tonnes for the First Time in 2025

Money Metals News Service
-
0
Gold Demand Topped 5,000 Tonnes for the First Time in 2025

(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) Global gold demand topped 5,000 tonnes for the first time ever in 2025.

Factoring in the 65 percent price gain, the total value of gold demand increased 45 percent year-on-year to an unprecedented $555 billion.

Fourth quarter gold demand also set a record, coming in at 1,303 tonnes driven by hefty ETF inflows, coupled with coin and bar demand that hit a 12-year high.

Gold Investment Demand

With gold hitting 53 record highs in 2025, investment demand surged to 2,175.3 tonnes, shattering the previous record of 1,805 tonnes set in 2020. Investment demand value more than doubled to $240 billion.

Investment buying manifested in strong demand for both ETFs and physical metals.

ETF gold holdings hit an all-time high of 4,025 tonnes. In dollar terms, inflows set a record of $89 billion.

As the World Gold Council framed it, the rising gold price was both a cause and an effect.

“Investors were attracted by the rising price, and the subsequent inflows helped to generate further price gains.”

North American-based ETFs contributed more than half of the increase, with gold holdings rising 446 tonnes.

Asian funds added 215 tonnes of gold. According to the WGC, the ETF investment base broadened across the region with a significant number of new investors tapping into the market.

Chinese funds more than doubled their gold holdings in 2025 (+133 tonnes). Meanwhile, Indian funds charted eight straight months of gold inflows to wrap up the year.

A gold ETF is backed by a trust company that holds metal owned and stored by the trust. In most cases, investing in an ETF does not entitle you to any amount of physical gold. You own a share of the ETF, not gold itself. ETFs are a convenient way for investors to play the gold market, but owning ETF shares is not the same as holding physical gold.

Physical gold investment also surged, with coin and bar demand hitting a 12-year high of 1,374.1 tonnes.

In value terms, global bar and coin demand was a record-breaking $154 billion.

More than half of the global coin and bar demand came from two countries – China and India.

According to the World Gold Council, “The rise in the gold price was overwhelmingly the most important factor driving stronger demand.”

However, bar and coin demand in the U.S. did not grow in volume despite a strong fourth quarter. In value terms, U.S. physical gold investment rose by a relatively modest 8 percent.

According to the World Gold Council, “Selling back remains notable as the price rise continues to attract profit-taking, making for an active two-way market.”

Central Bank Gold Buying

Official central bank gold buying globally fell below 1,000 tonnes for the first time in four years, coming in at 863 tonnes.

The World Gold Council said rapidly rising prices created a difficult climate for central bankers seeking to raise their gold reserves.

“Reported gold buying was somewhat modest through much of 2025 as central banks navigated a rapid rally in prices, which reached multiple record highs during the year. Elevated valuations of gold reserves appeared to prompt a more cautious approach. This highlights that central banks are not insensitive to price dynamics, even as their long-term strategic interest in gold remains firmly intact.”

While below the levels seen in the previous three years, it was still significantly above the 2010-2021 annual average of 473 tonnes.

Poland was the top buyer in 2025, adding 102 tonnes of gold to its official holdings. The National Bank of Poland recently announced plans to purchase up to 150 more tonnes of gold, raising its holdings to a maximum of 700 tonnes.

Gold Jewelry Demand

Unsurprisingly, gold jewelry demand fell, pressured by surging prices.

Total gold jewelry demand fell to a five-year low of 1,542 tonnes, an 18 percent decline.

However, demand value increased to a record $172 billion, an 18 percent increase. According to the World Gold Council, this indicates a steady appetite for gold jewelry.

“The remarkable gold price rise in 2025 inevitably imposed affordability constraints on jewelry consumers the world over. It did not, however, stifle consumer appetite for jewelry – as evidenced by the sharp jump in demand value during the year, with consumers spending a larger share of wallet on gold.”

Gold in Tech

Price pressure also created headwinds for gold demand for industrial and technical applications.

Overall, gold used in technology came in at 322.8 tonnes, down 1 percent from 326.2 tonnes in 2024.

Gold used in the electronics sector was flat at 270.4 tonnes.

Gold demand for other industrial applications dipped 5 percent to 44.2 tonnes.

According to the World Gold Council, the AI boom has disrupted the electronics sector.

“The AI boom continued to drive demand for gold in electronics (the dominant category of demand in this sector), with high-speed computing accelerating the use of bonding wire and contact and interconnect materials. However, this boom has created some tension and divergence with other parts of the electronics sector as manufacturing capacity has been redirected to meet AI-related demand, effectively crowding out production of some components and pushing up prices.”

I’ll be breaking down demand data for these various sectors in more detail in the weeks ahead.

Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.

A Man Impersonating an FBI Agent Tried to Get Luigi Mangione Out of Jail

Headline USA Editor
-
0
A Man Impersonating an FBI Agent Tried to Get Luigi Mangione Out of Jail

(Headline USA) A man falsely claiming to be an FBI agent showed up to a federal jail in New York City on Wednesday night and told officers he had a court order to release Luigi Mangione, authorities said.

Mark Anderson, 36, of Mankato, Minnesota, was arrested and charged with impersonating an FBI agent in a foiled bid to free Mangione from the Metropolitan Detention Center, the notorious Brooklyn lockup where he is held while awaiting state and federal murder trials in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

A criminal complaint filed against Anderson did not identify the person he attempted to free. A law enforcement official familiar with the matter confirmed it was Mangione. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity.

Anderson is expected to make an initial appearance Thursday in Brooklyn federal court. Online court records did not contain information on a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. A message seeking comment was left with a spokesperson for Mangione’s legal team.

According to the criminal complaint, Anderson approached the jail intake area around 6:50 p.m. Wednesday and told uniformed jail officers that he was an FBI agent in possession of paperwork “signed by a judge” authorizing the release of a specific person in custody at the jail.

When the officers asked for his federal credentials, Anderson showed them a Minnesota driver’s license, threw numerous documents at them and claimed to have weapons, the criminal complaint said. Officers searched Anderson’s bag and found a barbecue fork and a circular steel blade, the complaint said. In a photo included in the complaint, the blade appeared to be a small pizza cutter wheel.

Anderson had traveled to New York from Mankato, about 67 miles (107 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis, and was working at a pizzeria after another job opportunity fell through, the law enforcement official said.

The attempt to free Mangione happened during a critical stretch in his legal cases.

Hours before Anderson’s arrest, the Manhattan district attorney’s office sent a letter urging the judge in Mangione’s state case, Gregory Carro, to set a July 1 trial date.

On Friday, Mangione will be in court for a conference in his federal case. The judge in that case, Margaret Garnett, is expected to rule soon whether prosecutors can seek the death penalty and whether they can use certain evidence against him.

Last week, Garnett scheduled jury selection in the federal case for Sept. 8, with the rest of the trial happening in October or January, depending on whether she allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both cases. The state charges carry the possibility of life in prison.

A cause célèbre for people upset with the health insurance industry, Mangione has attracted legions of supporters, some of whom have regularly turned up at his court appearances. Some have donned green clothing, the color worn by the Mario Bros. video game character Luigi, as a symbol of solidarity, and some have brought signs and shirts with slogans such as “Free Luigi” and “No Death For Luigi Mangione.”

Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione, a 27-year-old Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.

After several days of court proceedings in Pennsylvania, Mangione was whisked to New York and sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar Announces Run for Minnesota Governor

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Sen. Amy Klobuchar Announces Run for Minnesota Governor

(Elyse S. Apel, The Center Square) ​​U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced Thursday morning that she will be running for Minnesota governor in the 2026 election cycle.

This comes after current Gov. Tim Walz unexpectedly announced earlier this month that he would not be seeking reelection.

“Minnesotans, we’ve been through a lot. And I believe this moment calls for grit, resilience, and faith in each other,” Klobuchar said in her announcement. “I believe we must stand up for what’s right. And fix what’s wrong. Today, I’m announcing my candidacy for governor.”

Klobuchar, a Democrat, has held her U.S. Senate seat since 2007. She was Minnesota’s first elected female United States senator.

In 2020, she ran as a Democrat candidate for President, a bid which was short-lived before Klobuchar endorsed Joe Biden.

In her announcement video, Klobuchar called out the Trump administration and its ongoing immigration enforcement efforts in the Twin Cities.

“I believe we must stand up for what is right and fix what is wrong,” Klobuchar said. “I’m running for every Minnesotan who wants ICE and its abusive tactics out of the state we love.”

Klobuchar also addressed the ongoing fraud scandals across the state.

“I don’t like fraud or waste in government,” she said. “I will make sure the people who steal taxpayer money go to jail and root out the fraud by changing the way state government works.”

Senators Weigh American Privacy Risks in FBI Investigations

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Senators Weigh American Privacy Risks in FBI Investigations

(Emily Rodriguez, The Center Square) ​​The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on Wednesday to consider the reauthorization of a surveillance tool that has improperly collected citizens’ private conversations. 

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was first established by Congress in 1978 to mitigate foreign terrorist threats. 

Section 702, established in 2008 to amend FISA, only permits the targeting of non-U.S. citizens for surveillance purposes and does not require a warrant. However, accusations of civilians’ privacy being invaded by the FBI have continued.

“It appears that Americans don’t care for that any more than they did at the time of the British controlling this country,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. “It appears that people want to know, ‘By what right are you doing this to me?’ And that is a legitimate question when it comes to questions of privacy.” 

U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said that issues regarding Section 702 have been repeatedly discussed with similar arguments being made without real progress in protecting U.S. citizens.

“The arguments go something like this: Yes, there have been problems in the past. Yes, there have been abuses of FISA 702, but you need not worry, because we now have procedures in place, administrative procedures, that will fix the problem once and for all. We now have to have even more layers of administrative approval within the agencies charged with administering this framework, and so you need not worry. What you ought to be worried about is another 9/11. What you ought to be worried about is that we are all going to die unless the US government has the ability to collect content of private communications involving US citizens without a warrant,” Lee said. “I find this rather troubling, because that’s that’s not what the Constitution sets up.”

Adam Klein, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin, argued that requiring warrants for queries, which are searches through government databases for information the government already collected, may delay investigations that could potentially prevent future terrorism. He also said American citizens could find comfort if queried, as they are not the subjects of investigation, despite their private conversations being observed by the FBI to investigate foreigners. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, rebuffed this idea, arguing that just because U.S. citizens are not the primary targets of investigation does not mean their privacy was not improperly targeted and abused. 

“The idea that we would renew 702 without some sort of reforms to protect U.S. citizens, I think, is just totally irresponsible,” Hawley said.

Partial Government Shutdown Looms After Funding Deal Failure

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Partial Government Shutdown Looms After Funding Deal Failure

(Thérèse Boudreaux, The Center Square) ​​The U.S. Senate failed to advance a package of the six remaining federal funding bills Thursday, leaving less than 40 hours until the federal government partially shuts down.

More than $1.2 trillion is at stake in the House-passed legislation, funding State-Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, and Homeland Security throughout fiscal year 2026.

After the second fatal shooting of a protester in Minneapolis, Democrats are demanding that the Homeland Security appropriations bill include new restrictions on immigration enforcement officers.

“Democrats are ready to avoid a shutdown, but the DHS bill needs serious work,” U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said on social media post-vote. “Americans are demanding change to ICE’s conduct – we must deliver for them.”

With multiple sectors of the government facing a funding lapse on Jan. 30, and the U.S. House not scheduled to return until Feb. 2, a partial government shutdown is unavoidable – the only question is the scope.

The most likely outcome is that the Senate splits off the $64 billion Homeland Security bill from the package and passes the remaining five, sending them to President Donald Trump’s desk.

Senate leaders would then redraft the Homeland Security bill and include Democrats’ provisions — bans on mask-wearing and roving patrols, body-worn camera requirements, and warrant rule changes, among other things.

But since restructuring and passing that bill could take weeks, senators will almost certainly pass a short-term Continuing Resolution to keep Homeland Security funding on cruise control in the meantime.

In the best-case scenario, funding for the agencies covered under the Homeland Security bill will lapse over the weekend, then freeze at former levels after the House approves the Senate’s CR when it returns. 

The vast majority of Americans would remain unaffected by such a short, small-scale shutdown, unlike during the record 43-day shutdown last year that impacted flights, food stamps and federal loans.

Man Detained after Butler Trump Shooting Now Faces Felony Charges

Ken Silva
-
0
Man Detained after Butler Trump Shooting Now Faces Felony Charges

(Ken Silva, Headline USA) A man who filmed key moments of the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt against Donald Trump—and who was briefly suspected of being involved—now faces felony charges for allegedly making terroristic threats.

Dave Stewart, 36, was reportedly charged Thursday with threatening local, state and federal officials, including making a bomb threat directed at the Butler Township police barracks, according to the local newspaper, Butler Eagle. Butler, Pennsylvania is where the assassination attempt took place.

At the time of the shooting, Stewart was employed at a nearby Sheetz gas station, where he had just finished a shift. Stewart captured some of the key moments leading up to the shooting, which took place at 6:11 p.m.

“There’s somebody in this building,” Stewart could be heard saying on his cellphone footage  as police surrounded the AGR building trying to track the alleged would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks.

Stewart was himself suspected of being involved in the shooting. A Pennsylvania State Police trooper handcuffed him immediately after the assassination attempt. Stewart was cleared soon thereafter, but he was he the state trooper roughed him up when he was being detained.

“This guy, he just—he came over, he was a hothead, and he just threw me against the car and put me in cuff,” Stewart told a Butler Township officer who uncuffed him some 45 minutes after the shooting.

“You look just like the guy on the roof,” the township officer responded—as heard on police bodycam footage.

“Are you serious?” a stunned Stewart replied.

Stewart told this reporter last year that he left Pennsylvania by the end of July 2024 due to harassment from law enforcement and others. He apparently returned at some point, and is now sitting in Butler County jail due to the newly filed charges.

“Among those threatened were Trump, the White House, Rep. Mike Kelly and state police’s Troop D,” the Butler Eagle reported Thursday.

“Police spoke with Stewart on Wednesday when he was spotted sitting at a table with his laptop at Sheetz … Police said Stewart acknowledged his anger and feelings of mistreatment by law enforcement when later interviewed at the state police Butler barracks,” the newspaper added, citing a police affidavit.

“He justified his posts saying there was nothing done when he felt threatened by law enforcement. Police said Stewart went on to admit to posting the messages and said he shouldn’t have.”

Stewart is being held on $500,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for next Thursday.

Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.

Mamdani Seeks Wealth Tax to Plug NYC’s $12B Budget Gap

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Mamdani Seeks Wealth Tax to Plug NYC’s $12B Budget Gap

(Chris Wade, The Center Square) ​​New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants to raise taxes on the city’s wealthiest to help reduce a projected $12 billion deficit he says was inherited from the previous administration.

In a highlight of his upcoming budget, Mamndani told reporters on Wednesday that his administration will be pursuing his campaign pledge to raise taxes by 2% on millionaires and increase the combined corporate tax rate to just over 22%. He said the tax hikes are needed to whittle down the $12 billion deficit he “inherited” from the Adams administration. 

“I will be blunt. New York City is facing a serious fiscal crisis,” Mamdani said in remarks Wednesday. “We are speaking about a fiscal crisis at this scale greater than the great recession. And so there will not be one single thing that can answer that crisis.” 

In his remarks, Mamdani ruled out cuts to the NYPD, FDNY and other essential city services but warned that the budget gap must be filled to balance the spending plan. He said his budget writers will try to maximize savings by scrutinizing city agency budgets, but said that will only go so far. 

“That also means raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and those profitable corporations, and it means recalibrating the relationship with the state,” Mamdani said.

But Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who was seeking reelection in the fall, swatted down the idea of giving New York City approval to raise taxes on the wealthiest residents, calling it a “non-starter.” She told reporters on Wednesday that it “isn’t a newsflash” that Mamdani wants to raise taxes to fund his agenda but ruled out support from her administration.

“We are not raising taxes in the state of New York, we are not raising taxes for the sake of raising taxes, so he will continue to say what he needs to say,” Hochul said.

New York City’s business community has raised concerns about an exodus of employers from raising taxes on job creators, warning it will ultimately hurt the city’s economy. 

“We want to help Mayor Zohran Mamdani find a real solution,” Steven Fulop, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, posted on social media. “Let’s move past the relocation debate over taxes — people can argue that forever. The real question is simple: if you were starting or scaling a business today, would you choose NYC if these trends continue?

He cited a recent report by the nonpartisan Citizens Budget Commission showing New York City already has the highest combined corporate tax rate in the country at 17.44% and that matching New Jersey’s top rate would push NYC to 22.48% — nearly double New Jersey.

“That’s a competitiveness problem,” Fulop said. “Companies may not leave overnight, but they will stop expanding here. This week’s NYC jobs data is a warning sign — and exactly why we’re focused on helping get this right.” 

Mamdani is blaming the city’s budget shortfall on former Mayor Eric Adams, accusing his administration of “negligent budgeting” and leaving behind a financial mess.

But a spokesperson for Adams said he left City Hall with $8 billion in reserves, suggesting that the new administration was being “disingenuous” about its claims of a budget gap.

“Despite these challenges, Mayor Adams led a real recovery through steady leadership and tough decisions,” the spokesperson said. “Blaming him for decades-old City-State funding inequities is inaccurate and disingenuous.”

Trump to Iran: Agree to Nuclear Deal Or the US Will Attack

Headline USA Editor
-
0
Trump to Iran: Agree to Nuclear Deal Or the US Will Attack

(Kyle Anzalone, Antiwar.com) President Donald Trump renewed his threats to attack Iran if the Islamic Republic does not comply with his demands. The President claimed that Iran must agree to a new nuclear deal or would be attacked by the “armada” Trump has assembled in the Middle East.

“A massive Armada is heading to Iran. It is a larger fleet, headed by the great Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln, than that sent to Venezuela. Like with Venezuela, it is ready, willing, and able to rapidly fulfill its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary,” the President wrote on Truth Social Wednesday.  

“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties. Time is running out, it is truly of the essence!” He continued, “As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was ‘Operation Midnight Hammer,’ a major destruction of Iran. The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again.”

After returning to the White House, Trump tightened sanctions on Iran and threatened to attack the Islamic Republic if it did not agree to a deal that would limit or eliminate its civilian nuclear program. 

Tehran has stated that it is willing to agree to limitations and strict inspections of its nuclear program, but it will continue to enrich uranium. The President has asserted that Iran must completely eliminate its enrichment program. 

Prior to the unprovoked Israeli attack on Iran in June that ignited a 12-day conflict, Washington and Tehran were in the process of establishing a new nuclear agreement. When Trump ordered US forces to aid Israel and attack Iran, those negotiations failed. Iran has offered to return to the table if Trump stops threatening the Islamic Republic. 

Late last year, Trump renewed his threats on Iran, this time asserting that the US would attack the Islamic Republic if the government’s crackdown led to the deaths of protesters. While thousands died during the demonstration in Iran, Trump decided not to launch an attack. 

Trump declined to give the order to attack Iran out of concern that the planned strikes would fail to topple the government, and US troops in the Middle East and Israel would be vulnerable to counterattacks. 

Trump has ordered an aircraft carrier strike group, fighter jets, and advanced air defense systems to the Middle East. The larger American military presence in the region will give the President additional options for attacking Iran and defeating counterattacks. 

Trump is reportedly considering a range of options for bringing about regime change in Iran, including an oil blockade and strikes on high-level targets in Tehran. 

This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.  

Kennedy Foe Dead At 98

Mark E. Johnson
-
0
Kennedy Foe Dead At 98

THE NEW YORK TIMES – George Cabot Lodge, who unlike four of his ancestors lost in his attempt to gain a Massachusetts seat in the U.S. Senate, enabling a member of a rival dynasty, Edward M. Kennedy, to begin a five-decade congressional career, died on Jan. 4. He was 98.

His death was announced by Campbell Funeral Home, which is, appropriately enough, on Cabot Street in Beverly, Mass., where Mr. Lodge lived and which has been home to his family for generations. The announcement did not say where he died.

Mr. Lodge later found a professional home at another institution shared by both his family and the Kennedys, Harvard University, where he was a surprisingly anticapitalist business professor for many years. But he long remained associated with his 1962 Senate race against Ted Kennedy.

That contest made Mr. Kennedy a senator just months after turning 30, the minimum age required by the Constitution. He stayed in the job until his death 47 years later, amassing one of the longest careers in the Senate’s history.

The ’62 race also represented the fourth time since 1916 that a member of the Cabot Lodge family, an old and distinguished clan of Boston Protestant Republicans, ran for office against the Kennedy-Fitzgeralds, two rising, conjoined families of Boston Catholic Democrats.

The first race — a Senate election in which Henry Cabot Lodge Sr., the incumbent, faced John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, Boston’s former mayor and the maternal grandfather of John F. Kennedy — was a dominant Cabot Lodge victory.

The next two races pitted Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., George’s father, against John F. Kennedy. In 1952, Mr. Lodge Jr. lost his Senate seat to Mr. Kennedy, and in 1960, Mr. Lodge lost to Mr. Kennedy again, as Richard Nixon’s running mate on the Republican presidential ticket.

Round Four, in 1962, signified the end of not only the families’ rivalry but also, it seemed, the Cabot Lodge political dynasty itself and, with it, their style of liberal Republicanism … 

READ MORE [subscription may be required]

“Here’s to dear old Boston,
Home of the bean and the Cod,
Where the Lowells speak only to Cabots,
And the Cabots speak only to God.”

– Noted Massachusetts political rhyme 

Boston native Mark E. Johnson writes about politics, health, and current events for major national news outlets. 

This ‘Hated’ Reality TV Star Is Serious About Running For L.A. Mayor 

Mark E. Johnson
-
0
This ‘Hated’ Reality TV Star Is Serious About Running For L.A. Mayor 

(Mark E. Johnson, Contributor) Spencer Pratt, who rose to fame and fortune as star of the MTV reality show ‘The Hills,’ has announced his run for mayor of Los Angeles. 

Pratt and his wife, actress Heidi Montag, lost their Pacific Palisades home to last year’s devastating wildfire, which destroyed their entire neighborhood.

Pratt minces no words in assigning blame for the fire that cost him and his family their home and everything in it: it was the fault of do-nothing public officials, chief among them L.A.’s globetrotting mayor Karen Bass. 

Bass was in Africa at the time of the fires, claiming to be there “representing Joe Biden,” though it’s not clear why a city official would be selected to act as a White House representative on foreign soil. 

Before becoming mayor of America’s second largest city, the career politician served in US Congress for twelve years, where she chaired the racially charged Congressional Black Caucus. Prior to that, Bass served six years in California State Assembly including a two-year stint as speaker. 

Before holding any office, the lifelong Democrat was engaged as a “street activist,” the same credentials touted by another noted black politician, former US President Barack H. Obama. 

“I’m not a politician. I’m a husband and father who watched my home burn because the system failed us. We don’t need more government programs. We need common sense, accountability, and a Mayor that shows up for everyone.” – Spencer Pratt

On the tightly scripted MTV ‘reality’ show, Spencer Pratt played the role of a villain [so-called reality tv is about as realistic as professional wrestling]. This writer never watched nor frankly heard of this show, but apparently it had its day. Their stardom allowed Pratt and Montag to amass an estimated net worth of about $10 million, though they’ve reportedly [mis]spent nearly of it. As for the role of tv villain, we’re thinking JR Ewing from ‘Dallas.’  

A recent LA Times article reflected on Pratt’s found and lost wealth: 

“Pratt not only has endured but become a bona-fide master of reinvention. The 42-year-old Pacific Palisades native attributes his many lives to having an unparalleled amount of energy, a strain of inner bombast that could be likened to strobes of light and patterns behind closed eyelids.”

Pratt is recently out with a memoir entitled, “The Guy You Loved to Hate.” In it, he writes:

“My natural disposition doesn’t come with an off button… It just sits in my chest like a nuclear reactor, keeping me moving, keeping me scheming, keeping me launching myself into the sky. Sometimes I’ll land to a standing ovation. Sometimes I’ll face-plant in front of everyone. Either way, I’m fun to watch. At least, that’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

At the time of Pratt’s campaign announcement, a Bass spokesperson unleashed a scathing response, suggesting that the bid was little more than a ploy to sell books.

Campaign strategist Douglas Herman said, per the LA Times

“It’s no shock that in advance of his imminent book release, a reality TV ‘villain’ who once staged a fake divorce to boost ratings and spent the last summer spewing post-fire misinformation and disinformation to pump up his social media following, would now announce he’s running for Mayor.” 

Pratt was quick to respond:

“Two things can be true. I wrote this book because Karen Bass let my house burn down. If through sharing my story I could start the process of rebuilding what we lost, then passing on that opportunity would be neglecting my responsibilities as a husband and father. Separate and apart from that, I am running for Mayor because Karen Bass let my house burn down and sent me on a journey of discovery regarding her failed leadership.”

At a January 7 rally, Pratt reflected on the wildfire:

“The most heartbreaking part of the last year wasn’t being displaced or losing everything I own, it was the realization that all of this was preventable. We are standing here amongst the ashes of our once beautiful town because the state and local leaders let us burn.” 

“My voter registration is Republican, but I am running with no labels — no D or R next to my name. The mayor should serve the city, not a political party.” – Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt

1...276277278...3,818Page 277 of 3,818